Awesome info. Thanks! That gives me an idea of what's available. I'm new enough to quilting that I'm a bit overwhelmed with sewing machine info. Those qualify as "cheap," as far as I'm concerned, since I'm most familiar with the prices of Berninas.
Thanks to all who replied!
Originally Posted by BKrenning
How large of a throat? That will be the only way to compare apples to apples. If you're talking 9"--then the Juki 98 would be the cheapest new. There are several others that you might be able to find used in the 9" category--Janome 1600, Pfaff Grand Hobby Quilter 1200, Viking/Husqvarna Mega Quilter, Brother PQ1500 are all similar to the Juki 98. To get bigger than 9", you'll probably have to add another $500+ to your budget. The basic Bailey Home Quilter is 13" and I think it was around $1,200. They also make a 15" & now a 17" version. They were the cheapest that I remember when I was searching. You might find an older DAQ, KenQuilt, Gammil, etc if you look hard enough but those are industrial, quilting only machines. The ones I mentioned prior are more like domestic sewing machines.