gotta-sew

Go try them. See and feel which one suits you. Don't base your decision on which big name uses it. They are paid to use them. Handi Quilter provides Angela Walters with a machine, it's an arrangement that works both ways. It brought a younger demographic to their product. The same goes for Babylock and Nancy Zieman and Elenor Burns and Fons and Porter. It's not that the machines they were using suddenly became bad, it's just that they made an arrangement (deal) with Babylock. Thus per agreements made they now sponcer Babylock and allow Babylock to use their name, photo etc. It's business.

For me, I used to quilt on a Handi Quilter. Nice machine. I now quilt on a Gammill. For me, the Gammill is by far the better machine. Both machines cost about the same. The 18" throat Gammill with table, leaders etc. runs around $10,000.00. I think the Handi Quilter is just a bit more.

What really matters most is which one feels best for you and which one has the features you want most for the price your willing to pay.

grandmagingerbread

I too am looking to buy a long arm and have recently tried out a HQ Fusion, which I really liked. However, I would like to try out other machines. Can someone tell me of any shows/expos or whatever there is that I could go to? Looking for something in the Ohio/Indiana/Michigan/Pennsylvania/Virginia/West VIrginia area. Thanks.

Farm Quilter

The Virginia Innova longarm dealer has a calendar of their shows in the area at http://thelongarmnetwork.com/calendar/ - looks like they will be at shows in PA and VA in September.

patski

I have the Lenova and love it and it did come with the frame.

Gay

The best LA is the one you feel most comfortable using, so try many. I have a Tin Lizzy 18ls, and though I love it to bits, I did have issues with the encoders, for 18 months, but the dealer wouldn't admit to any problems or do anything to help. Have since figured things out myself.

So my advice is - make sure you buy from a reputable dealer who will put themselves out to ensure all is well. I have since found dealers over 2 hrs drive away who offered to come to my home if I bought a machine from them. Wish they were there before I jumped in.

FiveseveN

I dream of having one someday *wistful sigh* with what little research I have done so far, all I can say is make sure it has that thingy that controls the speed of the needle related to how fast you are moving the machine

JeannieT

I have a HQ Sweet Sixteen, which is a sit-down machine. It fit my budget plus I'm too lazy to stand up and quilt .....
It does the job for me and I don't have the space for a long arm...

Sandygirl

Kind of like asking what is the "best" of anything. There is no one answer. Make a list of features you want and start researching machines and pricing. I researched sewing machines for weeks before I landed on the one to purchase. My price point was all over the board comparing machines and features to my budget, Which bounced all over the place.
sandy

CanoePam

Sandygirl has it right. What is the best car? It depend more on your needs (4 or 8 passenger, highway or off-road, local dealer support, etc) than anything else. Note the "best" car for me is definitely not the most expensive since I don't need/want many of the items that the most expensive cars have. Someone else may think those exact items are absolute requirements.

The general advice is correct - read a lot, identify what your true requirements are, identify and rank what additional items would be nice to have, then try a number of machines to see what fits you.

Pam
(owner of a sit-down machine because my requirements include a small space and the need to hold fabric in my hands - YMMV)