Two years ago, as a novice, I took quilting lessons and I saw a lot of Janome 3160 machines. I asked about it and was sold on its ability to cut threads, needle down position and the many stitches it offered. Since it is a quilters machine it comes with the clear table that I love for piecing and FMQ and only weighs 12 lbs! It is a real work horse.
Since my husband will be retiring soon I wanted to buy a top notch machine that had everything....so my hubby bought me the Janome 12000. I am still learning and have not used the embroidery yet. I am signed up for classes so I hope to learn everything that is on my machine. So far I have loved Janome and I have bought from my LQS.