I have had several embroidery machines and I embroider alot. Most of the top machines are intended to be used for 1000's of hours. Many people get them thinking they are going to use them on everything and then the newness wears off and they seldom get used. So, a used one can be a great deal. The one have now (Babylock elegante) is a wonderful machine that I bought used from the babylock dealer. You will pay a little more at the dealer, but they should have gone through it and done a complete service and done any adjustments necessary.
Some people trade in a machine as soon as a new bigger better machine comes along. Nice if you can afford it.
I had a designer - great machine. However the model I had used floppy disks to load designs. Since floppy disks are no longer available I had to pass. If you look at a designer, make sure it us USB or flash drive compatible. The newer ones can attach to your computer and you can just send a file without download device.
One critcal shopping item is to get at least a 5 x 7 hoop. Many of your designs are larger 4 x 4 and you will find tons of designs you will want that wont fit that 4X4 format.

Good luck

There is a Janome 350 on Ebay for about $1200, used. Call Alko Sewing in Ohio, get a price quote on a new one, you might be surprised.

If you get a used one from ebay or any place else make sure you can return it if you have a problem. A lot of sellers have a no return policy or only 7 days which barely gives you time to test the waters. I just bought a new/used Viking Ruby and I got a warranty along with free classes and enrollment to the embroidery club to make sure I can use it to the best of it capabilities. I agree not to spend too much if you aren't sure if you'll like it but try not to get stuck with one that doesn't do what it should.

I have the Janome. Price was an issue for me also. I went to my LQS and told them I was interested in an embroidery machine. When someone "traded up", I got a call saying they had a preowned Janome 350E. It was a great price and I bought it.

People are always buying the next best thing. You might be able to buy a preowned embroidery machine for a good price.

this is so true. I just bought the viking ruby this weekend. Because of going to classes at the LQS I knew the previous owner and knew it was well taken care of and the shop owner said the lady only had it a few months plus I got a warranty and lessons which are important for something like this. Last night when I went into the management part of the machine I saw that the previous owner only sewed 7 hours on this until she went up to the next level; how great for me is this.

I have the brother
770 and love it.

I am on my second Brother embroidery machine....have a Duetta 4500. love the machine becasue it is simple and easy to use...I still contend THE most important element is the customer service you will need. How close is a dealer, what do they offer, in house repair, or do they ship everything out....I have a friend that has owned every machine made, she has ended up not liking the majority of them especially the Husquvana (?) poor service, Bernina too complex, Pfaff now, couldn't remember how to get it to work......
The Brother is simple and easy, can buy parts such as feet and bobbins from their web site...would hightly recommend the USB port for a thumb drive. Can purchase Brother at Walmart, Costco and QVC.....

I have a Janome 300E embroidery machine and love it, it came out before the 350E. They have the same size embroidery field, the 350E is an upgrade. Have you checked to see if you can get it, it would be less expensive. I have had mine about 5 years and still going strong, no problems. It should be well under $1000.00 now.

I have a Rose viking and a designer 2. Wonderful machines.
Have done a lot of embroidering on both machines. you can see my work at my webshot below

this is off topic and nosey, but what do you do for charities?
(looking for yet another excuse to buy :lol: )