The Brother 1500S is my favorite. It's no bells/whistles, no zigzag, no computer. What it does have is: excellent straight stitch, large harp size, thread cutter, excellent fmq. The only time I use another machine is if I want zigzag for embroidery, someone is visiting and using it (it's so easy, you just can't damage it), I'm traveling for 1 day (it's heavy). People say there's a Juki just like it, but it isn't. On Brother, there's a pin behind the feed dog that pierces the fabric and acts as a walking foot, then the fabric layers don't creep.

Oh yeh. And another thing. It's around $700. That's cheap for the quality of the machine. And it hasn't changed in 20 yrs. It's so reliable.

My brother 6200D has all the features of the VQ3000 and I have loved everything about it for sewing and quilting. The saphire is a lovely machine to sew on, stitch quality is superb but I still prefer my brother. The Janome did look appealing but I haven't used it to compare to my brother but feel it would be comparable but you need to test to see what you like. The muvit foot is a lot different than the built in walking foot of the janome and the regular walking foot of the saphire. I do prefer my muvit foot to my walking foot by far and it sews so many difficult materials with ease. But again I have never used a built in to compare and once I started using the muvit foot it has sewed so beautifully, even with piecing with the 1/4 inch attachment. I think I would definitely go for the janome and brother feature wise over the saphire because they have more to offer.

I have a different model Viking - Platinum - and I love it. Never have an issue with it and it has all the bells and whistles that I need. Have never had a service issue in the 12 plus years I've owned this machine.

sounds like everyone has their favorite machine. You have to just decide what one fits your budget and needs.

I am another fan of Juki! I have both a TL2010q and an Exceed F400 (though I might be upgrading to the DX7). I love the Juki a lot. The Exceed was such an easy machine to learn on when I was a newbie, even though it has lots of bells and whistles.

I have a Janome 6600 and absolutely love it. I bought it used from lqs about 6 years ago and have not had any trouble with it at all. I love the many stitches it provides, the needle threader and it clips the thread when I am done sewing a seam. I might suggest you try out each model to see which one is comfortable to you and whatever meets your needs. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

I have a Bernina B560 and love it. I did not buy the embroidery attachment but the sewing machine itself is great. I like the alphabet because it goes up to 9mm. This is my second Bernina. I think you get a walking foot with it and that is something that makes quilting so much easier.

Which one has the dealer with the best support?

A dealer who has great support/customer service and classes to help you use all the features of your machine is as important as choosing a machine with the features you need and want. All of these companies have a machine that will fit your needs although it may be a different one than those mentioned. Number your dealer choices 1,2,3 then go to each with a list of must have and would like features and request demos on machines that fit your list and their best price. Also ask what they include with a new machine purchase package.

I wore out my Viking Rose but had many years of good quilting out of it. Now I have an Elna Excellence 920 and it "feels" just as good. It allows me to do more than quilt - has decorative stitches that I use occasionally. It all really depends on what you want in a machine (I do have an older Viking 100 still going strong but not for quilting) and if it's going to be your primary or only machine or one in a "fleet."