Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have had this machine since September 2012. I've been sewing for 50 years, many of those professionally, and have used many brands of sewing machines over the years. However, this is my first embroidery machine. Since I purchased it I've learned many things, too many to list in this review, but I feel compelled to address the few negative reviews. First and foremost , Mr. Vac and Mrs. Sew is a wonderful company to deal with. When I received my package, every thing was correct except I mistakenly received 2 - 5x7 hoops, 2 - 4x4 hoops and 1 - 5x12 hoop in addition to the sock and cap hoop. I immediately called to let them know and they said KEEP THEM!! During the first couple of months of use I called them numerous times when I had questions and their customer service was always top notch! Next, you MUST read the manual front to back before you really start to use the machine. I assumed because I had sewn for so long it would be the same....it is not! That being said, you will find things along the way that you won't find in the manual. The best thing you can do is utilize YouTube, there are tons of excellent videos on there that will address even the smallest issue you might encounter. Also there are many good groups and forums that you should join right away. There are 2 groups on Facebook (PE770 Machine Embroidery and Brother PE Embroidery) that will be a great help, there are many experienced people on there they have a wealth of knowledge. What I see from reading the negative reviews is that there seems to be a lot of mis-information, people are not trying to find answers for themselves (beyond the manual) and this is doing a great disservice to an excellent starter embroidery machine. I have found through watching dozens of videos and reading hundreds of posts that the issues people experience are more than likely not the actual machine itself, but not trying to find the right answer to their problem. I never knew, prior to purchasing the machine, that there are so many types of stabilizers, and each fabric must have the right kind. I assumed that because a roll was included that it would be used on everything. The thread that comes with this package is great, and I couldn't understand why a few of the colors kept shredding and giving me bird nests under the fabric. After some research I discovered that the dye in certain colors can affect how it sews. I now use a different kind of thread, but still go back to these often. I never knew that you shouldn't pull the thread from the top when changing thread, but cut it and pull from the bottom. Pulling from the top can do damage to the delicate pieces inside. I also learned from my "authorized Brother serviceman" that you should not attempt to adjust tension or oil it. These machines are so different than a regular sewing machine. There are so many thing I've learned and way to many to list, all I can say is this is an excellent machine but you MUST do the research as you go along. I've put 4 millions stitches on this machine since I purchased it, which to some is a lot and to others is hardly any! Some of those 4 million stitches have given me nightmares, most time because I wasn't doing something the right way. As with anything, I'm sure there are lemons out there, it is inevitable, but in my humble opinion, this is an excellent machine, Mr. Vac and Mrs. Sew is a wonderful company to deal with and the package is great!! By the way, I'm still using the original box of prewound bobbins.