I just recently purchased the 550E and so far I love it. Not that complicated to learn - buy from a reputable dealer and they will most likely offer a free class on the machine. But there are a number of good videos on You Tube that go through what you need to do to create your designs and what all those function keys do. Personally, I like the fact that it is an embroidery only machine so that it has only 1 thing to do well....and it does. I already own a wonderful machine that I do all my quilting on. And while I'm in my sewing room working on a quilt, my embroidery machine can be doing its thing while I work. Love it!!