I have been reading the comments on this post, and I agree, I try not to "trash" another brand. Everyone has a reason why they love their machine. So why am I sold on a Berniana? I have been sewing since I was 8 years old for 4-H. I had sewn on many different brands even my mom's top of the line Singer, as she was a singer die-hard. Every last machine I would have to fight with to sew, it was always something, the tension, the bobbin, always something. It was work to just keep the machine happy. I started sewing on my Bernina 930 and I was in heaven. Not a cough, or sneeze from the machine, if there was a problem, it was my fault and I knew exactly what it was. I made the comment to my mom shortly after my purchase, that sewing on her machine after sewing on my Bernina was like going from a Cadillac to a toyota, boy was she mad, but 6 months later she bought a Bernina 930 and was sold on them. As it has been said before, "Nothing sews like a Bernina". If it is truely a Bernina at that price, buy it, you can not go wrong. If you don't buy it but want a new machine, try different machines out, make a list of the features you want and what is you price range. Shopping for a machine is like shopping for anything else, don't be trying on, test driving, or trying out something you can't afford, only try out the ones you can afford, or you wont be happy with anything.