i have the singer futura xl550. sews like a dream love it. embroidery part i HATE it. all ways knotting up on the underside or getting a hoop size era. and have to take the hoop off and put it back on and this is with using the right size hoop for the design and it telling me im not. i've also been throw a few brother embroidery/sewing machines and everyone was bad right out of the box. i just have bad luck with embroidery machines. the futura is a great SEWING machine but not embroidery. wish i had been able to fine a dealer for singer. but could not so we ordered it from sewingmachinesplus.com will never do that again. a friend of my had the xl 400 and loved it and that is what i ordered but the company had a problem and subbed the newer xl 550. and we had to go back and forth with the company for 2 months before we got every thing we ordered.