I have been looking and trying to compare on longarms. Any sugguestions, complaints, would be much appreciated. I used my neighbor's machine which only has about an 8"-12" quilting area. I do know that I would like one with an 18" or more stitching area. I don't plan to quilt for anyone else, so cost is important. Thanks in advance for any ideas.

I have an Innova 18"-it is great.If you want more depth they have a 22" and a 26" also.great machine,great sturdy frame,great service-made by ABM.

I would look into a Sunshine 16 by Pennywinkle Valley Ranch. I saw them at the Denver show and liked them. The 16 inch machine on a frame is only 2795.00. It doesn't have a stitch regulator but it really isn't that hard to learn to keep your stitches an even length without a stitch regulator. When I have space again it's the machine I'm going to take a lot closer look at.

I had an APQS 20 inch machine and it was a little bit on the big side for someone on the shorter side.

I'm curious as to what model your neighbor has. You say she only has 8-12" of quilting space which to my mind means she has a 12-16" machine--a midarm of some sort. Then we can more accurately compare features & prices against one you are all ready familiar with.

I am getting a Bailey's 17inch Home Quilter on a Grace frame including the stitch regulator its about $3900. I can hardly wait till it comes I am watching for the UPS trucks these days.

She has the Hittenburg woodend frame and a Baby Lock (I think) for the machine on it. I'm not sure what she paid for them but has had them for several years. I did a twin quilt on it and loved it!!! So much nicer than fighting with my Designer One machine rolling the fabric to fit in the small space.

I have a Hinterberg Voyager/with stitch regulator and a Hinterberg stretch frame. I really like it and it's very affordable. It has a 17" neck, which is an inch too short to technically be a long arm, but it will do an 11" panto. The frame is sturdy and you can decide how long you want the poles to be according to how much space you have. Check it out!

The Babylock is probably the 9" version but if she bought one of the first ones made, it could be the new Jewel which is made by HandiQuilter for Babylock. If it's the 9" Babylock Quilters Choice Pro; you actually only have about 7" of quilting space at the beginning of a quilt and 4" at the end. So, assuming you want one longer than your neighbors--the least expensive longer machines would be Bailey Home Quilter, Voyager by Hinterberg and possibly the Homesteader by Quilting Solutions. The next step up in price is the Nolting FunQuilter, Viking 18.8/Pfaff/Tin Lizzie, Hinterberg Indigo (made by Nolting) and probably half a dozen others. All this made by stuff gets confusing. Make it a point to get to a bigger quilt show so you can get your hands on different ones. That will show you things that you might not even know to look for.

I have an HQ16, and I love it! Got mine for under $9K, and got a free table to boot! Machine has a stitch regulator, and a separate bobbin winder. Machine is quiet also.

You should do a search here on LA machines. There is a lot of information on them.