You actually have lots of options in that price range, Viking, which are great. I got the NQ3500D from Brother this year because it had different hoop sizes and did Disney designs. Check out the dealers in your area if possible to test them out. I don't think you can go wrong with either Viking, Brother or Babylock. Just take your time and shop around and see what is out there and what features you would want to have. I have to have the different hoop sizes, needle up/down, auto threader, thread cutter, and the other thing these machines have in common is they play well with most threads. I use what ever I want.