One definite benefit to using a frame is not having to baste quilt layers together and, therefore, no basting to remove while it's being quilted. I had to dismantle my frame when my son lost his job and came back here to live, so I've set my 9" machine up on a table; the machine is surrounded by styrofoam which is covered with heavy vinyl + I've a slider in the needle/throatplate area. The table is butted on the back & both sides by walls/shelf unit, so the quilt stays on the table. I haven't used it enough to give it a rating; it seems to work o.k., but, as I said, I am back to having to sandwich & baste. On the plus side, I'm no longer confined to the narrow quilting space that the 9" on a frame provides.