If I may chime in about the Brother PQ1500SL? I had been using a Bernina B215 for all my sewing. It was a struggle, needless to say, to do simple straight line queen size quilts and thick fabrics/layers. I was incredibly frustrated. It wasn't the machine's fault. It's a lovely machine, but just wasn't made for the stuff I wanted to sew.
Last December, after reading reviews and asking questions on this board, I ordered the Brother from Walmart. $479 + tax. I love it. The large harp space, the high clearance of the presser foot and no computers to mess with. (I also have adopted 3 VSMs in the meantime). I've also started to dabble in FMQ with it.
I ordered from Walmart because I knew I had 30 days to return it, if for some reason I didn't like it or it wasn't working right. The Brother dealer closest to me (30 miles) wouldn't tell me over the phone their price, except to say it was less than the $1699.00 MSRP, but not how much lower. I had a budget that I was not going to go over. They also wouldn't let me test drive it because it was brand new out of the box.
I ordered my Brother as soon as I got off the phone with them.
Good luck and have fun,
Carol