I have a 1630 and it is 21 years and still awesome ..... great machines, the main difference between the two is the 1530 has a 5 mm reach and the 1630 a 7 mm reach .... they both 'read' the foot that you attach and set up internally for the chosen sewing requirements. These machines need to be cleaned of lint and oiled after every project or day of use .... and visit a real BERNINA specialist at least every other year. Never use canned air spray to remove lint on these babies.