Bought mine from my dealer as a trade-in, so was about half the price. They are all of the above, pros and cons. I love it, but it is heavy, finicky, costly and demanding to maintain. I LOVE the large throat and the large embroidery hoop. That said, I recommend people thinking long and hard before purchasing. I wish I'd bought the sit down quilter but I wanted an embroidery machine and I've used that monster hoop that only the 830 will accommodate on many projects. One drawback is the time/space required to convert it from embroidery to sewing. It sews/quilts in a table so it sits down in it. It does embroidery sitting on top of the 6' cutting table. It's not difficult to switch back and forth, but I'm terrified I will damage something in the transitions, including myself picking it up! It's very title says it all. It's called a SEWING COMPUTER.