I bought the original Bernina 830 back in the 80's and still have it as a back up machine. It is a work horse. When I decided I had to have a new machine, I looked at the new 830 but decided that it was too large for my space and went with the 440QE. At the same time, my quilting friend went with the 830, complete with the table, and has had nothing but trouble with it. Plus it is an extremely heavy machine if she removes it from the table to use it for other things besides quilting. I agree with those who said go for the long arm. Might save you some regrets.