I wanted a long-arm for a while because I hated trying to quilt large quilts on a DSM. I also hate giving up creative control by having someone else do what I want to do. Plus, if there is a screw-up, I did not want to have that level of anger against anyone but me. So, when my mom died, she posthumously purchased a machine for me. I picked something mid-arm size, an HQ16, because it fit the bill of what I want to do. I've had it three years and haven't looked back once. I love it.