I LOVE the BSR, but you're right, you do need to stitch at a moderate speed to get the best stitches. It's also important to reduce the foot pressure, I have no idea why this helps, but it does. I don't reduce stitch length, I know some people do, but I don't find it necessary.
It's very easy to plug in - once I was told the magic tip - there is a shiny clear semi-circle on the clip-on table that comes with the machine and when you look at it at the correct angle you can see a reflection of the green hole where you plug the BSR in. Prior to that I was virtually standing on my head to plug it in
. You'll also get the reflection if you use the bigger quilting table, or just use a handheld mirror if you've got a different setup.
I only use my BSR with the foot pedal on the BSR1 setting, you're liable to get out of control or run over your fingers if you try the auto start/stop option, but this is personal preference and once you're used to it, you may prefer to switch to the auto mode. I like to have both hands on my work all the time, and the option I like also stops with the needle down.
The BSR also comes with three different foot options, a closed metal circle (like a darning foot), an open metal circle (the one I use) and a large clear plastic circle (like the big foot quilting foot). I'm sure you'll find one you like, as with all things Bernina, there has been a lot of thought put into the design and most people will find a combination they like (though obviously not Libbi
).
I think that's about covered it, but do ask if anything else occurs to you