Originally Posted by
mermaid
They're great little machines to start with--if you are getting for reasonable price. I had a Deco 600--it used the .pes format, which is the Brother format. I purchased PE BASIC software with card and reader for about $100. Tyhen I was able to download all the free designs I wanted and transfer to the rewritable card--no buying of design cards. Just had to remember to only access design sizes that my machine hoops would handle. Check to see if the format is .pes--this is the most economical route for you to consider.
I also own a Deco 600 and a Deco 650, and I have the PE Basic software as well. The designs in the machine are some of the best I've seen when sewed out, and the software allows you to download to your heart's content. You may be limited on the hoop size but that doesn't limit the number of designs available out there for the hoop size, there are millions. If the price is reasonable, go for it. For the 600 I never pay more than $300, for the 650 I never pay more than $350 (that's just for the machine, power cord, and one hoop). I've bought several of these machines and that is a reasonable price for them.