When I was shopping for a new machine, I sewed on a Janome 6600 and did not like it, especially for free motion quilting. Another lady was in the shop at the same time and was having problems with her Janome (FMQ). So I waited and purchased a Brother QC1000 at a quilt show. I really like it. The dealer is about 2 hours from where I live, but they have excellent service. As others have said, decide what features you would like to have and then go to different shops and try them out. Take your own swatches to sew on--especially a sandwiched quilt sample to try quilting on. Good luck on your decision.