Hubby upped the $$ for long arm, and now I'm more afraid to buy ??
03-21-2016, 08:24 AM
#11
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: NY
Posts: 10,590
We are all biased towards are brand but I am wondering about your husbands research. Innova has a MUCH better frame, especially because it has a deadbar and you don't have to adjust the take up roller as you advance the quilt. Also it is made of aircraft grade aluminum and is made kind of like an erector set so you are limitless in ways to modify it for your own personal use. My friend converted her panto table to a light table that runs the entire length of 14 ft frame! She modified her roller for the top to be a tension roller so she can roll her quilt back and forth after basting. It is amazing the ideas people have come with for these frames, they are so versatile.
Regarding resale value the Innova is also known for holding it's resale better than the Gammel. In fact good luck finding someone who is trying to sell theirs. You rarely find used ones on the market because they are such great machines no one wants to give theirs up unless they are upgrading to another Innova. LOL
Finally with an innova you are not limited to Statler in your robotics. You can go with other brands but they do have a "Panto vision" robotics. I personally know of other longarmers who have switched from Gammel to Innova and are doing better quilting as a result.
Now product plug aside (I am not affiliated just a very happy customer) If your DH is willing to make this investment and you are in a financial position to do so... Go for it.
Regarding resale value the Innova is also known for holding it's resale better than the Gammel. In fact good luck finding someone who is trying to sell theirs. You rarely find used ones on the market because they are such great machines no one wants to give theirs up unless they are upgrading to another Innova. LOL
Finally with an innova you are not limited to Statler in your robotics. You can go with other brands but they do have a "Panto vision" robotics. I personally know of other longarmers who have switched from Gammel to Innova and are doing better quilting as a result.
Now product plug aside (I am not affiliated just a very happy customer) If your DH is willing to make this investment and you are in a financial position to do so... Go for it.
03-21-2016, 11:03 AM
#12
Power Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
I agree with feline fanatic about the Innova vs the Gammill.
Regarding just going with what your husband wants to buy for you, I have to disagree with many of the previous posters. It is not a good idea to purchase a setup that costs so much you feel obligated to use it. Honestly, I think you need to do a ***lot*** more research and take your time before deciding what kind of setup you want. Longarm mistakes are costly, especially when you are buying new rather than used. It's true that Gammill probably has a better resale value than Bernina, but that doesn't mean the resale value is good. I would expect a used Gammill to sell for about half the price you pay for it new. Innova retains better value on resale, but you would still lose at least a quarter of your investment even if you live in a metropolitan area with more buyers. (You lose more if you live in a rural area.)
There are a number of quilting groups on Yahoo (go to groups.yahoo.com to find them). Why not join a few of those groups and ask some questions? I'm sure if you join the Gammill group, most of the responses will be positive about Gammill. I remember awhile back on one of the Innova groups there was a thread in which a number of people compared their previous machines (including Gammill, Nolting, and others) to their current Innova. All of them preferred the Innova. ***All** setups have pros and cons, and having a dealer within an hour's drive is no guarantee that you will have a good experience with a purchase from them.
So you can get an idea of used longarm prices, here is a link to an online site:
http://www.longarmuniversity.com/MachinesForSale.html
Just realize that these are all *asking* prices. Many of them may take a long time to sell and/or sell for less than what is being asked. Notice that Innova's are few and far-between compared to other brands. This is because people tend to want to keep them.
Finally, I just want to mention a thread on one of the Yahoo groups that struck a chord with me. It was about quilters who had purchased a longarm setup and then were too intimidated to use it. Some of these setups were brand new. I was amazed at the number of quilters who were willing to admit it, but comforted that I was not the only one to feel intimidated by these things.
In my case, I decided to buy a relatively inexpensive used setup so I could find out if I would really like it and use it, or whether it would become just another household item to be dusted periodically. I settled on a Voyager 17 with Hinterberg frame bought from a fellow quilt guild member who was upgrading. A fellow QB member found a setup like this locally, including stitch regulator, for $2,500. Mine was more in the neighborhood of $3,500 with stitch regulator.
My "dream" machine is an Innova, and my dh would even go along with that purchase if I asked; however, I just don't want to spend that much money. I don't want to quilt for other people, and I don't want to feel guilty about not using the machine if I move on to other interests for awhile. I would probably buy a used Innova setup (one just came up for sale not too far from me on one of the Innova groups) ***if*** we weren't getting our house ready for sale.
Sorry to go on for so long! I just wanted to point out that a 10' frame and 26" machine isn't necessarily better than an 8' frame and 18" machine. You may be better off waiting, especially if you don't ***need*** to make a decision right now.
Regarding just going with what your husband wants to buy for you, I have to disagree with many of the previous posters. It is not a good idea to purchase a setup that costs so much you feel obligated to use it. Honestly, I think you need to do a ***lot*** more research and take your time before deciding what kind of setup you want. Longarm mistakes are costly, especially when you are buying new rather than used. It's true that Gammill probably has a better resale value than Bernina, but that doesn't mean the resale value is good. I would expect a used Gammill to sell for about half the price you pay for it new. Innova retains better value on resale, but you would still lose at least a quarter of your investment even if you live in a metropolitan area with more buyers. (You lose more if you live in a rural area.)
There are a number of quilting groups on Yahoo (go to groups.yahoo.com to find them). Why not join a few of those groups and ask some questions? I'm sure if you join the Gammill group, most of the responses will be positive about Gammill. I remember awhile back on one of the Innova groups there was a thread in which a number of people compared their previous machines (including Gammill, Nolting, and others) to their current Innova. All of them preferred the Innova. ***All** setups have pros and cons, and having a dealer within an hour's drive is no guarantee that you will have a good experience with a purchase from them.
So you can get an idea of used longarm prices, here is a link to an online site:
http://www.longarmuniversity.com/MachinesForSale.html
Just realize that these are all *asking* prices. Many of them may take a long time to sell and/or sell for less than what is being asked. Notice that Innova's are few and far-between compared to other brands. This is because people tend to want to keep them.
Finally, I just want to mention a thread on one of the Yahoo groups that struck a chord with me. It was about quilters who had purchased a longarm setup and then were too intimidated to use it. Some of these setups were brand new. I was amazed at the number of quilters who were willing to admit it, but comforted that I was not the only one to feel intimidated by these things.
In my case, I decided to buy a relatively inexpensive used setup so I could find out if I would really like it and use it, or whether it would become just another household item to be dusted periodically. I settled on a Voyager 17 with Hinterberg frame bought from a fellow quilt guild member who was upgrading. A fellow QB member found a setup like this locally, including stitch regulator, for $2,500. Mine was more in the neighborhood of $3,500 with stitch regulator.
My "dream" machine is an Innova, and my dh would even go along with that purchase if I asked; however, I just don't want to spend that much money. I don't want to quilt for other people, and I don't want to feel guilty about not using the machine if I move on to other interests for awhile. I would probably buy a used Innova setup (one just came up for sale not too far from me on one of the Innova groups) ***if*** we weren't getting our house ready for sale.
Sorry to go on for so long! I just wanted to point out that a 10' frame and 26" machine isn't necessarily better than an 8' frame and 18" machine. You may be better off waiting, especially if you don't ***need*** to make a decision right now.
03-21-2016, 07:08 PM
#14
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 11,916
If any way possible go for the 12 foot table, even if you don't need it just for the resale already, and yes the 26 inch opening is perfect. Many people sold their Gammil to go to Innova and a good number of Gammil dealers switched to Innova. If you are not familiar with Innova you might want to give it a look before buying another brand.
03-21-2016, 11:15 PM
#15
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,425
2 things I haven't seen mentioned yet:
1. See if you can take a "beginning longarmer" class near you. The Innova dealer in my area offers beginning longarming classes specifically for people who are in the market for a longarm, have just purchased a longarm, or are renting time on a longarm and need to learn how to use it. You do not need to own one to take this class. It's $125 for a day-long class, and you really get to work a lot with the machine, as opposed to playing with one for 20 minutes at a show. This is a fantastic way to test-drive the machine and find out what you like and don't like about it.
2. I have a couple of friends who find the 26" machines uncomfortable. They are petite and the machine is too big for them to move across the entire depth of the frame. This is not something husbands consider very often, at least not MY husband, who thinks the new couch is perfectly fine, while I struggle and squirm to get comfortable on it.
1. See if you can take a "beginning longarmer" class near you. The Innova dealer in my area offers beginning longarming classes specifically for people who are in the market for a longarm, have just purchased a longarm, or are renting time on a longarm and need to learn how to use it. You do not need to own one to take this class. It's $125 for a day-long class, and you really get to work a lot with the machine, as opposed to playing with one for 20 minutes at a show. This is a fantastic way to test-drive the machine and find out what you like and don't like about it.
2. I have a couple of friends who find the 26" machines uncomfortable. They are petite and the machine is too big for them to move across the entire depth of the frame. This is not something husbands consider very often, at least not MY husband, who thinks the new couch is perfectly fine, while I struggle and squirm to get comfortable on it.
Last edited by Peckish; 03-21-2016 at 11:18 PM.
03-22-2016, 02:30 AM
#16
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Boothbay Maine
Posts: 9,518
I have to agree with Prism99 on some of her comments... it sounds like you've done quite a bit of homework regarding the purchase but have you had much time to enjoy the process of quilting on a longarm?
Make sure you explore the overwhelming options before you write that check. LOL
and good luck!
Make sure you explore the overwhelming options before you write that check. LOL
and good luck!
03-22-2016, 02:53 AM
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Guelph, On. -
Posts: 2,021
MY husband is similar to yours. When he focuses on what I enjoy he goes out of his way to facilitate all the bells and whistles. You are afraid of hurting him by saying no. Think of your age, your free time and whether you want to have a business A 26 inch Gammil is not a hobby machine. But MAYBE HE is interested in doing some quilting. Some of our guys are pretty deep.
03-22-2016, 04:14 AM
#18
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Central Indiana
Posts: 1,112
If you have mastered the other techniques and enjoy the quilting I would go for it. I got an HQ and love it. Not as good, I guess, as the more $$ ones but I love it. Don't wait to get the retrofit. Get that feature from the start. It will actually save you in the long run as you won't have to make changes to your machine. Just because you have the capability to use the SW patterns does NOT mean you cannot also do freehand. With my HQ I often use both on a quilt. I can get precise, repeatable patterns but still put in my own personal work. Good luck.
03-22-2016, 05:40 AM
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: St. Louis suburbs
Posts: 6,084
The only response I can tell you is to get the biggest frame you can so if you want to quilt a king size quilt, you can. The most important thing to me now is that I wish I had sampled many long arms before buying what I did. I am not happy with my HQ Avante at all. It is a loud clunky machine and my thread breaks many times, I am constantly trying to find thread that works with the machine and I have had it serviced twice since I bought it. I so wish I had bought from a quilt store near me, their reputation is so good and I know that they would have been supportive to me.
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