I have the Husqvarna Diamond Royale & so far I love it. I've only had it for 4 months so I don't have lots of time on it yet (very busy in the summer months). I traded in a Bernina 820 on the Diamond & even though the Bernina is a top notch machine, it can be fussy & so far the Diamond Royale is a gem (no pun intended). I will say that I read all kinds of reviews on it & the one from an independent tester did state that the Diamond Royale is NOT for a beginner but an advanced sewer. She gave it a great review but wanted people to know that it is not for a beginner. I would suggest that you test, test & maybe retest the machines you are considering & go from there. Going to the show in Houston is an awesome idea because all the brands will probably be there & usually they offer great prices. Good luck in your hunt.

Bought a Bernina 830 because I wanted to be able to quilt on it and I wanted the embroidery component. If you're serious about embroidery, a separate embroidery machine would be nice. I usually end up sewing on my old Bernina when I have the 830 set up for embroidery. It's not horrible to switch back and forth, but it's time consuming enough.
Good luck with your search!

I have the Janome 11000 and love it. Looked at the 12000 and 15000, but I couldn't lift them! I decided that I would get the new Janome 500e Embroidery machine (msrp 3000) and try to sell my 11000. After I sell the 11000, I will get the Janome skyline s7 (msrp 3000) for regular sewing. Since they are usually on sale at different times I figure to get the two of them for under 4500. Much less than the cost of the 15000 and able to do all the same things!! Good luck!! Ann

I would not have any input for you about Janome, but I have 3 Viking Machines, and would NEVER ever buy anything else again. They do exactly what I need to do and do it beautifully. They are work horses, all 3 of them, and I would recommend Viking to anyone. Have fun, enjoy your new machine and keep us posted as to how you like it, whichever you choose.

I have the Janome 15000 and love it. Embroidery is great and I have done lots of quilts in the year I've had it. Janomes are easy to use and easy to learn.

I think the biggest question should be .......Is there a place near to service this machine. I purchased a Viking machine from Joanns. When it needed servicing, I took it to Joanns and was told that the machines are sent out of state for servicing. They wait until they get a few machines and then send them to save on shipping. Poor public relations plan if you ask me. No one who sews wants to be without a machine for three or more weeks.

I just saw and tried out the Janome 500E & Janome Skyline s7, I have to say I was super impressed. I am so glad I saw them before I made a bigger purchase for much more $$$. Thank you for your help.

I just had a chat with my fantastic repair man .... I had gotten a Singer (newer model) from a thrift store ..and it was not sewing very well.........he checked it for me, told me not to waste money fixing it , that the cheap design would give me nothing but problems...he then told me if I was buying any of the more modern machines, (and I quote here) "Do NOT buy a Singer OR a Brother....buy an Janome"...............and that is from a first class A+ repair man at a top shop here in town...

I just got the Janome 8200 and love it! Smooth, quiet, huge throat, stitches beautifully, a dream at FMQ, knee lift, great lighting, and very very easy to learn. Monogramming is something I wanted and this has it. A very easy to read screen, too. Get this: my dealer said its her favorite--and she plays with all the Janomes extensively. I got mine for 1400 as a repack. So if I wanted any more machine than this, I'd stick with Janome. Accessories on board are well organized and there's a generous lot of them. I Can't speak for Viking but I see many more for sale on Craigslist than I see Janomes , which tells me something. Have fun and let us know!