I have quilted a king size quilt on a domestic machine (Bernina 820) using the "quilt as you go" method. I divided the design in thirds vertically and incorporated a flying geese inner border to disguise the seams. You would never know each piece was quilted separatedly and then joined together.

Having a long arm would be the only way I would consider making a king, and DH said I can only have one room in the house.

The great thing about a forum question like this is that everyone tells you what they think they would do, and that makes you think of angles you perhaps had not looked at before.

Also I feel that you will read them and agree with some and not others, which in turn may tell you which way your mind is swaying too.

Hope this is making sense.......

I appreciate all your input. I thought I had made the decision and was just waiting until the time was right, but I see I still have to think more about this. Maybe I'll win the lottery and be able to afford both. Oh, yeah, that's right, I would have to play first. In any event, August will be here before I know it, so I need to decide. Cheryl, I doubt I make a king size, and if I do, my DIL has a longarm, so I'd ask her to quilt it or borrow her longarm. I doubt it would work for me to borrow it on a regular basis though. Also, the embroidery is an important factor for me, but if I bought a longarm, I'd keep my 730.

Just my two cents. I don't have either machine, but have been thinking a long time about it. I would go with the long arm. My domestic works just fine,but I keep getting asked to make quilts. The latest being a California king size that I am pretty much going to turn down simply due to the size.

One thought if the embroidery is not as important to you as the quilting space consider the 820 rather than the 830. You'd have all the space without all of the embroidery features available to you. From what I've heard in various places the 820 does not have the same thread/tension "issues" as the 830. If/when I have the money I'm going for the 820 because I don't want the embroidery unit. The 820 is not scalable so the software can't be installed to upgrade the 820 to the 830.

Teri

In my opinion I dont think its so much about if the 830 is worth the $$$ but more about do I spend those same $$$ on a 830 or a Longarm, my choice would be a Longarm.

Love the 830 and have tried it and think its a fantastic machine and if I could have both I certainly would, BUT if I had to choose it would be the Longarm.

Check out the Gammill Vision line. I traded in my Classic Plus and downsized to a Vision Premier 18 with a 10 foot table. The new table is a smaller foot print for home use. I love it and am so happy I downsized. I am an utter failure at quilting on a domestic sewing machine. The $$ being spent on an 830 is better put towards a Gammill Vision in my humble opinion. I have a Bernina 330. Love it, too!

Barbara

I have had my 830 for two years now. Got the first one in our area. LOVE IT. I have not had the tension issues that others have been stating. I think the upgrade kit is to keep you from having that problem but mine never has had it. . I have put over 5 million stitches on mine with minor adjustments only in the first period. The only issue mine has is the thread broken sensor. It is way too sensitive so just turned it off. Right now am using an embroidery quilting design and quilting a Queen size quilt using it. No problems. So I would recommend one from my experience with it.

I have a 210 and 730. I was excited about the 830 and wanted one when it came out, mainly for the larger harp. I'm with you after reading all the comments. It seems the higher end the machine--the more picky it is. My 730 is pickier than the 210. As I don't have the room for a long arm, I'm going to go for the sit down. It will also be easier on the budget. Betty D

OK, I see several forum topics on problems with the tension, etc. on the 830. I have been planning on buying one when I retire later this year, and these kinds of discussions give me pause. Perhaps I should go back to my original plan of getting my upgraded 200E (to 730E) in top shape and buy a longarm with either a short frame or a sit down version. I'm keeping my 1230 that I have because it is such a sound workhorse and doesn't fuss. Soooo, my friends...if you were to decide between these two, what would you buy?