Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was looking at this machine and the Brother CS6000i because they both have the exact features I was looking for.... most especially full speed control, feed dog drop, extension table, and being computerized. I am most especially interested in quilting and making bags, decorative pillows and accessories such as slippers, as well as warm winter clothing and pajamas. Now the Brother definitely has the price on it's side but I already knew Janome has a reputation for making solid machines that do not wear down quickly and use metal parts wherever possible Well, I went ahead and bought this machine as an open box/used one to bring down the price a bit, as regularly this machine is priced much higher than the Brother. So I ended up paying 50$ more than I would have for the Brother. what I got was a torn up box, but the machine inside looks and acts like it has never been used and is in perfect working order with not a scratch on it. In addition, I have a very solid machine, the likes of which I would expect to pay much much more than I did, and even more than I would have paid had it been "new". This machine sews rock solid straight. It feels like a solid machine and does not feel like I could easily break it. I have managed to get it to sew through multiple layers of fabric easily. The machine is quiet, and I have gained confidence in my sewing due to having complete control over the speed... even with just using the foot pedal, the speed of the machine is intuitive. It does not start suddenly at high speed after hesitating like my previous machine did. It is very responsive to the touch. The bobbin was easy to wind and load, the stitch selection and size is easy to program. I especially like that I can see the bobbin working as I go and know when it is getting close to empty. One other thing that made me choose this machine over the Brother is that it uses a standard 15 bobbin, rather than a specialized bobbin designed just for Brother machines. I am really happy that I can just keep using the bobbins I have and did not have to purchase special bobbins just for that machine. I expect to still be using this machine for a long long time and standardized bobbins I know I will always be able to get. This is a great machine and more well than worth it's retail price. I am very happy with this purchase.