T.S.
I only do very light sewing (my girls do some too) and a friend, who happens to be a professional seamstress, recommended I buy a Janome machine over a Singer. She says the Singers (at my price point, under $300) are just really poorly made and not worth the investment. The Janome I bought has been awesome, it's really solid and works very well for all the basics. It cost right around $300.