QuiltnLady1

I bought the 7700 -- I wanted the free arm, the larger harp and the additional lighting. A bonus is that it is MUCH quieter than my 6500. I was not happy with the dial, but have found that I really don't need to use it so I use the touch screen directly. I did have some issues with sewing over multiple seams, but the new foot fixed them. I love the additional flexibility in the adjustment of the stitches. Mine was one of the first 7700's made and I have not had the problems that others have seen.

sculham

7700 all the way the space, the lighting, the stitches, I use the buttonhole stitch for applique and bindings and it can be reversed to work any direction. You would love I'm sure. I paid $2995. when it first came out, with no extra's, and its worth every cent.
Good luck with your decision.

LyndaOH

I've had the 6600 and the 7700 and love them both. I sold my 6600 once I got comfortable with the 7700. Some of the advantages are the larger harp space (and the extra 2" really make a difference), the free arm, the seam guide, the automatic tension and the FMQ. For FMQ the only thing I have to do is adjust the height of the quilting foot so that it just skims the quilt top. My dealer was not aware of this adjustment (hadn't read the manual?) but it makes a huge difference.

As far as a table goes, I've recently gotten the Aussie by Kangaroo Cabinets, which is part of Arrow Cabinets. I love it! It's got a large quilting extension which folds down as well as room on right where I've got a large Steady Betty for ironing and room on the left where I've got my cutting mat. I don't even have it open all the way. When closed it folds into a nice compact cabinet. Having the machine sit down in the cabinet makes a huge difference for FMQ, as does the quilting extension.

If you still haven't had a test drive, feel free to head down to Ohio and you can play with mine to your heart's content!

Lynda

annesthreads

I'm two weeks into being a 7700 owner and on the whole am very happy. The most important issue for me was free motion quilting, because I didn't have a machine that would do it satisfactorily. So far I've not altered the tension or any other setting on the 7700, have tried various threads and battings, and have perfect stitches front and back. That alone would sell it to me after all the years of struggling with my old machine. The one problem so far is the one that Nanbue mentioned - a reluctance to go over bulky seam intersections - which may mean that the feed dogs need a slight adjustment, but I want to spend more time trying the dual feed foot first to see if that solves it. I can live with it if I can do the FMQ - I have 2 other machines that will sew over anything!
I was originally planning to get the 6600, as I thought the 7700 was out of my price range, but a good offer last month made it just about possible, and given the larger space for quilting, I decided to go for it.

pinkberrykay

My local dealer did not have a 7700 for me to try b4 I bought it. After much consideration I choose not to get one. I instead purchased a Featherweight 221 and should be here in a few days.

nanbue

If someone is having problems with sewing over bumps and seams you may need to have your feed dogs adjusted that will help with the feed of lumpy fabrics, but apparently it is an issue with this model. I went with the 6600 which is fine with lumpy intersections. Love my 6600. Love the 7700 too. Great machines.