I test drove a TON, first of all. Then I asked every single longarmer-for-hire in my area that I could get a hold of what they liked, what they didn't like, and whether they'd buy that machine again if presented the opportunity. I was amazed by the consistency of opinions I got in my area - all of them told me that they'd get an APQS Millenium. So after a long chat with the dealer, and trying out every kind of machine I could (Some didn't have dealers in Canada, which was a shame), I went with that one. I love it.