You didn't say anything about what you want to sew on the machine, so for that reason I'm going to assume you are a rank beginner. I went to a friend of mine who sews for a living with the same question when I started sewing. She told me that except for the really expensive, top of the line machines, they are all made in China these days. She said Singer was Chinese owned, designed and made these days and was totally unreliable. She said that Brother was still American owned and designed, but Chinese made. She recommended that as the best beginner machine. I bought one at Walmart three years ago for $140.00 and have been running it very hard ever since. I love it. It just does what it is supposed to do, day after day. I have sewn enough clothing and decorating items on it in three years to bury a king size bed three feet deep. Mine has so many built in stitches that I haven't begun to use them all yet. It has the capability of quilting, which I haven't tried yet. It has a built-in button hole function, which works beautifully. It sews heavy denim and fleece with no problems. The only things it has really had problems with are really lightweight jersey knit (like cheap t-shirts and underwear) and one really tightly twisted piece of twill I got last year. I've even sewn lightweight leather with it. If you want to spend more money, Husqvarna and Janome are supposed to be the industry leaders. But if you are a beginner and not sure that you will use it enough to justify the expense, I've really had good luck with Brother. And once you have master it, you may want to move on to a serger anyway. That is what I want next.