I bought the machine used through an Amazon seller. It was a fantastic price, but I had to work a little for the savings. If I didn't know my way around a sewing machine it would have been a hopeless purchase. The bobbin casing area was completely dismantled and the tension knob on the front went flying across the room at first touch. These complications were not the fault of the machine itself, but resolving them had me in that land of questionable troubleshooting for awhile at first. To add to the learning curve, I put the machine on the Gracie quilting frame right from the get go and attached the Gracie speed control.Two things that I learned that are of importance is that the needle MUST be in the highest position when putting the thread through the tension discs at the time of threading. The other was that the pressure foot must be raised during the process of threading. It's right there in the directions. This then is the difference in the world of having a machine on a frame with the sole intent of free motion stitching. My line of vision just wasn't the same as when I sat in front of the machine on a table. I would forget to put the pressure foot up for threading and then down again for stitching. Not putting it down makes a mess in the sewing, just as not having it up results in the tension not being right during the threading process.I think the machine is fickle about thread, but I think that it is fickle because you need the right thread and the right needle for the fabric you are quilting. By right, I mean for the thickness and the speed that you are going. My project was not liking the spool thread that I started with. It was too flimsy. Coats and Clark dual purpose thread worked really well though. I had too thin a needle at first too. In general, the problems I started with were complicated by user error on top of them. I was pretty much doubting the machine and myself for a good portion of my first project, which I had intended as a test project and suggest that everyone start by practicing on something of not big value. When the top tension isn't right you end up in a world of elaborate thread nests on the back of the project that no one is going to want to sit and pick out, especially if the project is on a frame.Those nests get elaborate because boy oh boy can this machine fly! I kept the Gracie speed control just a notch or two past medium. By the second half of my quilt project it all started to be a whole lot of fun. The machine floated with incredibly smooth speed. Stippling with this Designio is now in the top ten of the most cool things I've ever done. It was like driving a very high end car at a thrilling speed. It's a gas guzzler with a small tank though. The bobbin thread runs out fast. I picked up a supply of extra bobbins and I won't start my next project until I have a few bobbins wound and ready in reserve.I use my regular old machine to wind the bobbins. I could be wrong, but it looks to me that on my Designio the bobbin thingy that moves over to secure the bobbin as it spins is out of line. It should fit in the bobbin space and doesn't. I don't know if this is all part of it being used because the top was smashed down when I got it. I had to use a screwdriver to pop the top back up. Being that the machine is on a frame and I'd have to stand up to wind the bobbins I don't really care that I have to use my other machine for this. It should also be noted that I bought the machine for just a little over 400 dollars. If I had paid full price for a brand new machine I would've sent it back.The threading device is a little picky. It wouldn't catch the thread. I'm going to get thread that is specific for machine quilting next time. I think that might make a big difference.I have included a picture. I've never done that before, so I hope it shows up well. It's a good demonstration of how completely adequate the harp size is for a typical queen sized quilt. The quilt on the machine is a few inches short of a queen, but you can see that there is plenty of room left. Maybe a professional shop wouldn't want the Designio, but I am feeling absolutely empowered with it.