I feel your pain! My Elna (now made by Janome) has not been working as well as I'd like and I'm thinking about a new machine, too. But we only have a Bernina dealer close by, and they are far too expensive for me. I have been reading up on Brother and Baby Lock machines. There's a dealer an hour and a half away so I may make a journey over sometime this summer to try them out. Will be curious to learn what you end up with.