Janome 550e - what do you know?
I have the Elna expressive 830. It is the same machine, but I found it for $ 500.00 less than the Janome550e. I think it's a great machine. You do need to do the oiling of it at least once a month.I found a web site where I have purchased lots of patterns for this machine. It was easier to load those patterns than I first thought. In fact my sister in law was so impressed with what I have done so far, she went out an bought one too. Overall I have it an easy machine to operate. Hope this has helped you.