Originally Posted by mcdaniel023
I was at Walmart last night. The had a Brother that was $199. It had 120 stitches, needle up and down and included all the quilting feet. I came home and decided that I am going to go buy one this weekend. It would be a great backup for the money. I cannot remember the letters but it was a brother ?? 9000.
I'm not sure about that particular machine. If you can find out the model number, it's a good idea to look up reviews at
http://www.patternreview.com (search in the sm/serger category) before purchasing.
Even in a basic machine, you always want to have the ability to infinitely change stitch length and stitch width; you do not want to have only pre-programmed stitches. I would think that a Brother with 120 stitches would have this feature, but I'm not sure, so check for that. Being able to adjust your stitch to any length and any width becomes important as you get into more advanced quiltmaking, machine applique, etc.
Also check to see if you have multiple needle positions. Often you want to be able to move the needle to the left or right of center to get a scant 1/4-inch seam.