I just bought my 4th Bernina, a 580. I had taken a class on the 830 that my husband wanted to buy me. However, after taking the class, I realized that it had too many features that I'd never use...like using it to paint on dishes. Even if I wanted to use all those features, like painting dishes...it'd cost a lot of money to buy the foot needed, the type of paint needed, etc. The machine is too heavy for me to lift as well. So I'd not be able to take to a class, or even move it to different locations in my house. People I've talke to seem to love the 830 or hate it and no inbetween. If you want a machine to do machine quilting on, I'd get one with a bigger harp. If you want a machine that can do machine embroidery and quilting, I'd look for one that has bigger hoops than the Berninas...except the 830 does have bigger hoops and those hoops are $$$.