visit dealers and show and try them out- it's like buying a car- you should (test-drive) as many as you can find before making your choice- we are each different and like different machines - also keep in mind tech support and service- you don't want to have to drive 8 hours to get your machine serviced-
as expensive as they are you really don't want to just buy the machine i have because i like it- you need to try them out.
i have a friend who's hubby bought her a long arm which sat in her house for 5 years before she finally sold it out of frustration- in that 5 years she managed to quilt 1 quilt- and was so upset all the time over that machine- i used to go over and help her get everything set (tension, needles, bobbins ect) have her happily stitching - would leave- she would run out of bobbin thread...change the bobbin and have all kinds of problems again- it was a horrible situation for her- she never learned to use the machine and was so unhappy she completely quit making quilts- doing any sewing- i finally helped her get it sold-
don't let this happen to you- test drive them and find the machine that is right for you.