Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Great value and a great machine! I've had this machine for over a year. (+ a CS6000i for 7 years.) I originally purchased it bc I saw the beautiful satin and blanket stitches it does for appliqué quilting on a friend's brother machine, but stayed with it for the great features. This machine has all the features of a $1000 machine for a fraction of the cost! It's very, very easy to use. You can have it up and running out of the box in 5 min.s. All the threading directions are right on the machine so you'll never forget. The manual is great. Read it. It has a troubleshooting section that can help you figure out problems (which are almost always Pilot Error :o) ) It comes with all the accessories and feet you need and if you ever buy more, they are affordable. Features I love: auto needle up/ down -I would never be without it, auto needle stop down (or up, your choice), needle threader -so much easier than threading by hand, slower speeds for beginners, easy bobbin threading including a thread cutter and not having to pull the thread up before you sew!, large work table, thread cutter on the side, thread cutter on the bobbin winder -wrap wrap wrap cut -so easy, wide range of needle positions -so important. I use class 15 Metal bobbins (has stopped thread tangling on the bottom issues), singer or organ needles (oddly, they work better than schmetz), and gutermann thread work's beautifully (but I use coats and clark too.) I also like how the XR9500 will change needle position in #1 (different from cs6000i) and that you can set the machine to turn on at 0 (needle position left) or 1 (needle centered).