Caley, I'm sorry the machine didn't work out for you. Sometimes we just have an affinity for one brand or another, sometimes you know immediately whether a machine will work for you or not, and sometimes it takes longer. Even though sometimes we pay a financial price for our knowledge -- you know more now than you did a year ago! It really surprised me that after actually using a friend's long arm for awhile, I don't feel the need for quite as big of a machine as I once did. My short little arms can only actually move so far!
Last year was so awful, this year slightly better, but the advice to go out and try as many machines in person as you can still applies.
I'd second Rff1010's suggestion of this time seeing if you could use it as a trade-in through a local dealer. Doesn't have to be the brand they sell.