I would opt for a Janome. Sturdy machines with great warranty....they have a lot to choose from around your price range. As for Walmart machines, I would not purchase there, only because of service or warranty hassles. They had many bad customer complaints on a line of Brother machines several years ago. I suspect they corrected that when the flimsy machine was featured in a newscast. A repair man took the case off to show the non existent frame work...really cheap machine. Check your local dealers, many times they have great machines that are gently used.