No I purchased mine before the lightning stitch came out.
The major longarmers who do lots of show quilts and customizing for a business, say that it is worth the money. It makes it so there is no long stitches from a start and stop or any other time. I tried one at the IMQS show and it was nice but not in my budget. If I was ordering a new machine and planning on a business I would consider it.
Connie