I just bought the Janome 6600. Before I bought this one I made a list of which features I wanted. It was between the Janome or a Pfaff. The Pfaff was several $$$$ more and further away. I also have a Pfaff and love it so it's not that it was a stranger to me. I really do like the Janome. My first thought about buying a sewing machine is the dealer. They have got to be dependable and reliable. I had used the Janome dealer before to buy two different Phaffs. He doesn't sell Pfaff anymore. I think Viking owns Pfaff now.