I have a Brother PC8500. It's their mid-level sewing & embroidery machine. It cost WAY more than $500, even though I bought it at a show for 1/2 price! I'm not sure about the cost of the embroidery-only machines. You may be able to get a used one from a sewing machine dealer.

I love my machine. It does beautiful embroidery and I have always found it very easy to use. I've used higher-end machines in classes and they have lots of nice features, but for the price I paid for mine I think I really got my money's worth. (It was $1500.) I've had it 4 or 5 years and never had any trouble with it.

Donna

Mary,
I have the brother SE270D. I bought it at Wal Mart for about the price you want to pay. Let me say I really am a hand embroider but for the things I've used it for it has worked fine. It is a promotion for Disney and most of the built in stitches are Disney. I ordered a Ped basic to go on my computer to down load patterns. There are free patterns and many sites that sell designs. I payed less than $150 for my Ped Basic.

All that said, it only can sew up to a 4 inch design. And my friend says a really important consideration is the cost of thread. To have only a small number of colors is expensive. I pay $4 to $5 a spool. I use rayon thread because it works well for me and gives the design a nice look.
I'm not sure what you are thinking of doing but just in general, I am pleased with my machine. It also has some stitches for quilting which I want to try out soon.
Also there is a forum on here especially for embroidery and someone there may be able to give you more information.

Good luck in finding what you want.

Sally

I have an old PE150 I bought used from a friend. The thread is expensive, but I wait and buy when it's on sale.
Both Joann's and Hancocks will run it on sale occasionally.
I wish I had one that embroidered a larger area, but while I'm learning it's great.
Carolyn

Mary I am not for sure but I think in another message somewhere here you said you where from central Va. So am. And I have the brother machine from walmart also with the disney and the add on ped. even though I have am waiting to hook up my ped. If you live close by you can come by and try out my machine to see if it fits your needs before buying one. Just contact me. Juju

Mary,
I have a Janome Embroidery machine. My machine can sew up to a 5x7 field. For the most projects it's a good size. I think it would be very limiting with a 4x4 sew area. You would have to get good at rehooping and getting the alignment of your design in the correct position. Not so easy.
The shop where I bought my machine told me that it works best with Janome thread. It does not. I buy Coats Embroidery thread at JoAnnes when it's 50% off. I keep a list so I know what colors I have and add to it when I can.
Once I was told to try the shops to see what they have any trade-ins. Many sewers trade in their "old machine" for the newer model. Those machines frequently come with extra attachments, designs, and software equipment. It's worth a look. The other thing I appreciated when I bought from a sewing store is that they helped me get started with free lessons for a year and I can bring my machine or call for help in anytime I have a question.

I had a Brother PE150 which I bought used on ebay. It was less than $300 and worked fine. I sold it when I upgrade to a Viking machine. Colleen

Hi Mary,
I am ready to buy an embroidery machine too. I have a Janome MC and an older straight stitch that still works good, so I don't want an embroidery combo.
Janome and Brother are the 2 embroidery only machines that I am aware of so far.
I LOVE my Janone, but (heavy sigh) it is more expensive than the Brother.
I think it really depends on how much you plan to use it, and what for.
My niece has an older Brother (she bought it used for $500) and she has a small embroidery business. Mainly just embroidering names. She says it takes too long to use in her small business, but it works very well for personal items and she has had no mechanical probs.
Rosa

Thanks everyone for your input. My DH surprised me yesterday with a Baby Lock Ellure Plus !! WOW. I am lucky :-) to have such a dear husband. LOL Took 35 yrs to get him the way I like hehe.. It is way more than I was looking at. Seems he can't resist a sales pitch. Now all I have to do is read the 190 pages of instructions. I do get free lessons at the shop. I know I'll need them. Mary in Va.

Congratulations Mary!
My husband also picked out my embroidery machine. I would have never dreamed I would own such a beautiful (and expensive) machine! I know you will have lots of fun. I saw the Baby Lock Ellure Plus on a TV informercial, I wanted to buy it after seeing it too! Go to the Embroidery Forum here for embroidery questions and design website ideas.
The website at Embroidery Library has a project link with lots of video instruction tutorials. Watch how to pick the right stabilizer and how to hoop. Knowing those two things will help your designs sew out nice.
Have Fun!
Vicki