I don't know much about different brands of machines, but I have used Janome machines for well over 20 years and love them. My newest one is the 9500, which sews and embroiders. Before Janome I had an electronic Singer and it spent more time being repaired than it did at home. Baby Locks are also very good machines. I hear good things about Juki machines but I also hear you have to clean them a LOT!

Sewingmachines : Singer, Brother, Janome : Industrial Overlock Machines : Sewing Machines for Sale : SewingMachinesPlus.com carries a wide range of machines and it's a good starting point for pricing and comparing features.

Good luck in your search...