TeriB

I sew 20-25 hrs per week. I just make tops don’t quilt them but about to invest in my first GOOD machine what kind would you suggest

Tartan

All the major brands have good machines but you need to say what your budget is. My Bernina 440 few years ago was about $3000 just to give you an idea.

pocoellie

You need to decide what "features" you want and how much you're willing to spend. Personally, I wouldn't buy a new Singer, an old one, yes, just not new, this is my personal opinion. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, Janome, Brother and Eversewn have a fairly decently reputation. If you buy from a dealer versus a big box store, they should have free classes on how to get the most out of your machine.

mkc

It's a 100% personal decision, no different than buying a car.

What one person finds feature-rich, another finds too complex and frustrating.

What one person finds has controls intuitive for them, another is always searching for a button.

#1 Set your budget
#2 List your must-have, cannot do without features
#3 Research what brands have dealers near you for service

Narrow down the selections to those that fit above and see the machine in person, even if it's just watching online user videos. You need to get an actual feel for the machine or you can end up frustrated with the purchase.

Stitchnripper

I have made and done FMQ on a basic mechanical Brother, a vintage machine and now like the Brother PQ1500 straight stitch. So, I would suggest all of the above suggestions and decide if you want more than straight stitch, high shank, throat space, etc. Then go looking, whether on line or in person. It would be better to try out a machine to see if it works for you, as said above, like test driving a car. People might suggest a vintage machine, which are great, but, they are not just on shelves and would take some looking around to find one, know that it works, be able to rehab it yourself, etc.

Onebyone

I have/had Janome Brother Singer Bernina Eversewn Pfaff and Juki. All sew just fine. The feature I want is needle up/down and auto thread cutter. After that they all sew the same. I use the Juki for machine quilting as it has the long throat space.

Macybaby

I have an assortment of machine, but for just straight piecing, nothing beats my industrial Juki. It's a straight stitch only machine, and I keep the speed turned down. Still is faster than my other machines, but it also can sew as slow as needed when I'm doing curves or small pieces. Any industrial can sew fast, but not all can sew slowly when you need it. I wish I'd have looked at this before buying the Juki2010. That one now sits in a corner, good to have if I ever need to take a machine with.

The industrial comes with a large table and has a big throat, and with the treadle type foot control, you are never searching for it. Only bad thing, it is totally not portable! It does have a knee lift, but that is about it. Since I chain piece most of the time, the thread cutter isn't a big deal ( thought I'd hate not having it on my embroidery machine!). I leave my small scissors sort of under the machine (since it's got such a big throat) and I can easily reach them with my right hand without really moving much. Since the machine is in the table, they aren't going to fall off the back side either.

quiltingcandy

Since I learned to sew on the Singer 15-91 which was in a cabinet I like my machines to be set into a table or cabinet. I have a couple of the extension tables for my Janome and Euro-Pro. It's beyond me how people can sew without it, unless you need the small arm for sewing sleeves or something. My sewing repairman said with all the folks sewing masks his used machines were bought up.
Once you have decided how much you want to spend, then decide what type of machine you have room available. My Janome came with it's own table, and the 15-91 I learned to sew on has it's own cabinet. I have a treadle machine that holds my embroidery machine when not in use. (I love using the treadle - makes me feel like I get a little more exercise when sitting. :-) )
I seriously considered buying an industrial machine because I mostly used a straight stitch but finally decided I wanted the fancy stitches to play with and now I am glad that I did. I took the lessons with my machines - the Janome and the Husqvarna - and learned to do a few more things that I thought I would never do.

sewingpup

If you can, test them out. For piecing you basically need a machine that has a nice straight stitch ...that is it....now if you want one that does other things, that is another story. I am now a total believer, that the more machines the better if you have space. I do use my more basic machines for piecing as some of the fancier ones, just don't give a good straight stitch and it is hard to get a good 1/4 inch seam. So if piecing is your main use, I would, if possible bring some fabric and try and do a nice straight stitch with a quarter inch seam on the machine...also a good idea to also bring some triangle pieces and try them out to. Some machines love to eat the points on triangle pieces when doing things like half square triangles etc.

Peckish

I agree 100% with mkc.

For instance - I adore my Brother Nouvelle 1500, but some people:
find it too heavy to take to retreats/classes, etc.
cannot figure out how the needle threader works
want multiple stitches (the 1500 is a straight-stitch only machine)

So you need to decide what features you want, which dealers you have nearby, then come back and we can help you narrow down your selection. Regarding price - don't be afraid to look at used machines. My 1500 retails for $800-$900, but I bought it for $400 from a woman who was upgrading to a longarm. Check with your local guild, talk to people at your local quilt shops, let your dealer know what you're in the market for. Sometimes just knowing that you want their machine will nudge people over the edge into selling it to you so they can buy something else.