You should look at the Diamond Deluxe or the Viking Diamond Royale, it has the largest hoop around, an interchangeable walking foot that allows you to do so much more than regular walking feet do, large harp for a multi-purpose machine which is what you said you needed. I've had mine for a few yrs and have never had to adjust my tension due to the way the machine senses everything, including the thickness of fabric and then compensates for that. The deluxe is one step down from the royale and the stores have great prices on them. I bought mine and it was listed as slightly used from the Viking convention, I got it for about 1/2 price and it came with all of the same warranties, top of the line luggage and classes and lots more. I love my Viking, I've had this one and the Ruby and they are easy to use (I had never used one before) and alot of things I've figured out on my own. They come with the organizer software which allows you to view, sort and some editing of designs plus lots more. I ended up buying 5d Pro but it was nice not to have to do that in the beginning when it was all so new. Good luck with your search. See what all is in your area and test drive them and make sure you get a good feel for the store and how they interact, that is so important.