Step 1: Make a list of those features you consider essential besides the basics. For me these were: fully automatic buttonhole (my current Toyota has a four-step buttonhole); multiple speeds (so I can go really slowly); and an alphabet (so I can embroider wording on my quilts).
Step 2: Make a list of those features you'd like. For me these were: a warning when the bobbin thread ran out (I'm always sewing away oblivious to this); different styles of buttonhole; and preferably automatic tension setting (or at least very forgiving tension setting).
Step 3: Find out which dealers have franchises in your area. You need to consider how far you're prepared to drive if your machine comes with "driving lessons", when you need to take it in for a service or to simply get hold of some extra bobbins. This narrowed down my choice to Bernina, Elna and Husqvarna. I also included Pfaff, which would mean a 45 minute drive into the city.
Step 4: The next two steps can be swapped around, depending on how you like to do things. I first like to find out as much as I can before I go into a shop, as then I'm less dependent on the quality of the training of the salesperson. And this is where the Internet really comes in. Most models of machine have good websites packed with information. The Pfaff and US Bernina site (the best of the various Bernina sites) for example, give detailed information on each model (as you'd expect), but also of all the accessories (which you'd hope for), down to detailed information on each foot (brilliant). Obviously some of the information is country specific (for example, the Bernina Artista comes in three colours in the US, only one in South Africa where I live). (See the end of this article for a list of websites.)
Step 5: Visit the dealers to get a brochure, price, and, most importantly, a demonstration on each machine you're interested in. Remember you're reviewing not only the machine but also the dealership. These are the people you're going to have to deal with once you've bought your machine. My local Husqvarna dealer immediately assumed I couldn't afford the top-the-range machine saying, "You won't want that one, let's look at this cheaper one." Now I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt (it's summer in South Africa!) but how did she know how much I'd put away in my piggy bank? She also didn't have any detailed leaflets, and gave me one that told me little more than the names of the machines. The salesperson in the Elna shop was very friendly and helpful, but didn't know how to operate their embroidery machine. The owner of the Bernina shop was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about her machines. I'd popped in on the way home for work for some brochures but she insisted on also showing me what the machines could do, staying well past their usual closing time.
