Husqvarna Viking Designer Sapphire 85 vs Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3

The Epic 3 is the step-up machine. It has a larger embroidery area (460x450mm vs 360x350mm), a wider 9mm stitch, free-arm embroidery, embroidery projection and a quieter redesigned embroidery unit. The Sapphire 85 is the more affordable way into Husqvarna Viking's top tier, with a big 8-inch touchscreen, 680 stitches, 629 designs and the same CREATIVATE/mySewnet cloud platform. Owners of both lines praise the feed system and stitch quality; the Epic 3 draws more comments about its embroidery size and projection, the Sapphire 85 about its screen and stitch variety for the money.

• Choose the Sapphire 85 if you mostly sew and want solid embroidery, a large touchscreen and a huge built-in stitch and design library without moving to the flagship.
• Choose the Epic 3 if embroidery is your main work and you need the largest hoop area, free-arm embroidery and projection guidance.