There are lots of good sewing machines for the amount of money you want to spend. The Handi Quilter is a long arm machine, you just want a good sewing machine I think. I like the elna Quilter's Dream, a lot of the people on board like Janome, Pfaff, Bernina, etc., the last two are a little more pricey for me. It also depends on what features you're looking for. One thing though, I would stay away from the low end Singers. They're not the machines they used to be. I, personally, would recommend that you go to a dealer that has several brands and test drive the ones you would be interested in. I'm sure you'll get lots of help on board and I want to welcome you. There's lots of friendly, talented people on board who will help in any way they can.