I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Emerald 183. Had a Brother sewing machine before,,spent more time cussing at it than sewing. Would defiantly buy a Husgavarna again. I am a novice, and have basically, no problems that I can't 'fix' by reading the instruction/ troubleshooting manual. I bought mine at JoAnn's and they will help you with any issues you encounter. They have a 'class' for new Viking machine owners, take the class. Mine is FANTASTIC!!!!! Hope this helps!!! Good luck!!!