Okay - has any one found out the price of the new Baby Lock Tiara?
 

I'm really curious but don't want to go to a dealer and ask about it.

I need to know if it's even feasible finance wise before looking.

Concept is interesting since it's in it's own table and made for a small work area.

I just googled "baby lock tiara price" and go several sites where people said their dealer won't tell them the price over the phone and one site where a blogger/reviewer said she couldn't put the price in her review. I never have understood that policy. Maybe a retailer on here can explain it. It sure is frustrating.

It is frustrating! I googled also and could not find it. I like to do comparison shopping before buying and without any sales pressure - which you get big time when you start going to the different dealers.

I tried googling it, too. Like you, I want to know if it will fit in the budget before setting foot in the store.

I think that retailers think that if they get you in the door they have a better shot at talking you into buying. Doesn't work with me - I won't go to the store to ask because I am not interested in a sales pitch. I want to know that the price is in my ballpark before I waste my time and subject myself to a salesperson.

I absoulutely agree!

You can go to a quilt show and see it there. I believe it made its debut last week. You may also want to inquire about the HQ Sweet Sixteen.

Maybe it's not convenient to go to a quilt show to see it there.

Hey, if they won't even tell me the price, that tells me that I probably can't afford it, and then I won't even go to the store.

My husband was quoted MSRP - with Tru-Stitch stitch regulator - $6499. This particular dealer offered a discount of $900.

NOW...I believe that this machine is made by Handiquilter. It looks identical. Just as the Crown Jewel looks like the HQ Avante. The MSRP price for the Sweet Sixteen with Tru-Stitch - on the Handiquilter site - was - as I recall - $6190. I wonder if it's being discounted.

However...the Handiquilter site won't come up today. When I type it into the address bar, it comes up with a page that links to sewing places.

cmw0829 is right on targe with what my LQS told me earlier today. The MSRP is right at $6500 (including BL's stitch regulator), and it will be at least another week before my store has "their" pricing (They dont charge MSRP). Also my local store is small and they wont be in the first group to get the machine for touch/site/feel so she advised me to go to the Quilt Show for the hands on demo and that she would honor my quilt show price (they always do this). I am quite interested since I am a Babylock lover. I cant afford it right now since we are trying to sell our home and move along with renovating another home, so time and funds are short here but I was quite excited to see an alternative (both price and space-wise) to the crown jewel. I lust for that machine, the Crown Jewel--but it wont happen, new home is smaller and no where near enouch space for a king frame, but there is room for a table :thumbup:

Thank you! $6500 is out of my price range right now. Oh well, maybe in a couple of years I can get a second hand one.

Thanks from me, too on the price. Not in my budget either at the moment.

I just went to the quilt expo in Madison and saw the Tiara there. The woman who demonstrated it to me said the price "at the expo" was $5000. Lot of money, but I was VERY impressed!

Just my two pennies here, but WHY waste the dealer's time by going there and kicking tires to find out the price? I wanted to know about a Pfaff and even tho I only have $90 saved up right now, I want an idea of how much they cost, so I had to go to my dealer to find out. I told her right up front that I was just window shopping and just wanted to know how much one of the machines cost (I already knew features and didn't need the "sales pitch" or to take up her time on a busy Saturday morning). She not only had to pitch all the machines to me, she also tried to talk my friend (who never saw a sewing machine until then) into a sewing machine and high end embroidery machine and why we needed to buy one from her and not online! Why don't they just put the price on the machine? Why don't they put MSRP online? I wasted a half an hour there and felt bad because she put all that time into us and didn't get a sale.

$5000 is better but no can do right now.

AshleyR - that's why I did not want to go to the Babylock dealer here. The last time she tried real hard to sell me a serger and an embroidery machine and even insisted on showing me the finance rates/papers even though I kept saying "No". At that time I just needed a few items for the Babylock Espire that I had bought at a quilt show. They were upset that I had not bought it from them but I got it for half price - slightly used class machine. That was $1700 and that's the most I have ever spent on a machine. I do love it and it's easy to use and I really like the button feature on it. It's just aggravating that I have to go through a bunch of sales pitches to find out info so I can't be rude to them - they are the only dealer within a reasonable driving distance and the only ones to service my machine.

I am also interested in the Tiara. I have not seen the Tiara; however, it does look like a HandiQuilter. I have been renting time on a Sweet Sixteen and do like the sitdown - table version and I definitely like the size requirement. My HandiQuilter dealer will offer the machine I am renting for a discounted price in December. So, I was seriously interested in purchasing it.


I am a Babylock Elegante owner and have the Gold Standard warranty. The warranty and the dealership I bought it from are absolutely outstanding. I told my huband if Babylock came out with anything like the Sweet Sixteen and they offer the Gold Standard warranty, I was going to get it. Guess what Santa is bringing me this year? :)

Both the HQ Sweet 16 and the Tiara were running at about 5100 at the Madison show. Of course, both said that was the "show price". They both included the exact same things (the HQ Sweet 16 now has stitch regulator too). Both offered free shipping (which they said was about $300 normally). To me they were identical (ran both) and I wanted one so bad. (Both were quick to offer financing, you know.) Sigh.

I just called a local dealer and over the phone was quoted $6,499.00. Today the price (and probably a long time) is $5,499.00. She is calling me back in the morning with information about the stitch regulator.

If you wouldn't mind sharing, I would be interested to know what impressed you?

Handiquilter sweet sixteen is a great machine but I am on my third stitch regulator. The store I bought the "package" from thought it was my surge protector. I bought a new surge protector and the same thing happened. It works once and then it never works again. I went to a class on the Handiquilter and another woman complained of the same thing. Wish I had gotten her name. I love the machine but am not happy about almost a $1000.00 stitch regulator not working.

Baby Lock Tiara
 

I went to a store in Arlington Heights, IL and they are selling this machine for $6499 with the table, stitch regulator, bobbin winder, and of course the machine. I found the Handi Quilter Sweet 16 with all the same things for $6190 online. I'm thinking of getting the Handi Quilter.

I bought one at a show last week for show price of $4400.00 then paid full price for stitch regulator. Still worth it to me!!

I was at the quilt show 2 weeks ago at the Philadelphia Expo center. I was able to see the Tiara sit down machine. The price of the machine was around $5,700 including the stitch regulator. My husband and I looked around a little more and found the Sweet Sixteen for around $5500 also including the stitch regulator. While I was sitting at the machine playing around, my sweetheart of a husband gave the salesperson a credit card. I was just stunned. We ended up getting the floor model (that was newly opened for the show) with a very nice discount. The total we paid including sales tax was $5,100. I have been having a wonderful time learning my new baby. The dealer is located in Stroudsburg, Pa - half an hour from me. I'm going there on Thursday morning to get a "lesson". Having spent this past week playing - I don't really feel that I need a lesson but I'm going anyway. It's a very easy machine to learn and I am so glad to have gotten this machine!

Money talks....when a customer is serious about purchasing a machine vs "window shopping"....the store will likely negotiate a decent price. I saw the Tiara with the table and i loved the size of the table. It really caught my attention and i am not even in the market! $5400 was quoted to me in passing. Not sure about the features as i was just looking at it.
Sandy.

I was at the Birmingham quilt show and the HQ S16 and the Babylock Tiara were both there. They are identical machines just with a different brand printed on the side of the machine. It would have been funny to see them side by side but they were in different aisles. :D I really liked the way they sewed and would have bought it ($4500 without the stitch regulator which I don't want or need) but I wanted to compare it to the Tin Lizzie sit down quilt machine which the show price was $4000... and the dealer didn't have one to show off. He said he wished he did since there were several people asking about them.

My only biggest hesitation with the HQS16 was the pressure. You had to buy the machine during the show to get the special pricing, after that it would be msrp. She said I could fill out the paperwork and when HQ called to schedule delivery I could simply ask for more time until I made my decision but I figured I'd probably end up going to the Atlanta quilt show and could get the same deal there ;)

I will say that I saw online about the Tin Lizzie table is really cool. It has a leaf already (that you don't have to pay extra for) that folds down when you aren't using it. The table was larger than HQ's table.

Yesterday I was actually able to use a Tiara to quilt a small quilt for Project Linus. It was so much fun and remarkably easy to use. It did not have a stitch regulator, so I needed a little bit of practice to get my hands and foot to work together. Once I gained enough confidence to go fast, the movements were quite easy. The quote I received for just the basic machine was around $5400. To add 2 side fold-down table tops and the super-slick table cover brought the price closer to $6000. I'm not interested in the stitch regulator, so I didn't even ask. It made quilting the top so much fun.

I saw somewhere on web machine and table $5499 plus $999 for stitch regulator but don't know who the retailer is

I was privileged to participate with LinusLady in her trial run on the Tiara Friday. I was there to supposedly keep her from getting emotional and to keep her feet on the ground. I am afraid I wasn't much help in that regard -- I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent on the machine, and by the end of our 2 hour session, I was encouraging her to buy the machine!

Dayle

You need to keep your husband for sure !

Hi Peepers,
I priced one today with 2 different dealers. The prices range from 5200- 5500 and it includes the adjustable expandable table.

when you watch the video online at Babylock's web site, are they using the table that comes with it or the one with the extra two side fold down table/

As far as I know, the HQ16 and the Tiara are the same machine. I have the HQ16 with TruStitch and I must say that I am doing better without the stitch regulator. I feel like a bad driver when it is engaged. lol When I got mine, I saw an advertised price on the internet but decided to go with my local dealer. They were quite willing to negotiate and I got a decent price. Win-win. I did stop by another dealer close by and she applied tons of pressure (besides being an arrogant git.) She did not get my money.

The table comes without the sides. The extensions are extra.

I saw one at the sewing expo and the machine runs about $6000.00

Here's the scoop- I am a quilting machine consultant at one of the largest suppliers in the country. It's not that we don't want to price machines for you, it is just that some manufacturers restrict their dealers from pricing and selling their machines over the phone or internet. They require customers to come into the store. That allows us to properly access the customer's needs and direct them to the machine that fits their needs and budget. It also allows the machines to be properly demonstrated.

We sell 14 different brands, and there are many that don't have those restrictions. The HandiQuilter Sweet 16 is the same machine as the Tiara (made for Babylock), and it can be bought right through our phone department. It is sold with or without the stitch regulator, shipped free and also we offer financing at 0% interest. Handiquilter also makes the Avante (18" stand up model) and the Fusion (24" stand up machine).

I'm glad to answer any questions you may have.