I just researched and bought a long arm. I spent over a month reading online and demoing machines at quilt expos. I think budget is going to be one determination that could influence your decision, but for us it came down to the feel of the machine, warranty, stitch quality and support. APQS seems to have the best warranty and a very active customer forum. Even though we had been told some scary things about gammills, when we demoed them the stitch quality was great and the machine moved fluidly, they were our second choice, a-1 was a very graceful machine and I thought their install and training seemed to be the best..customer support was super friendly. In the end we chose Innova, the stitch quality was amazing and I love that the company has been in the commercial quilting business and has 24/7 customer support. We were impressed with the knowledge the reps had and that they are forward thinkers. they listen to their customers and continuously add new features. But everyone is different and all the big names are excellent products it's just whatever feels best for you and what machine fits the best for you. It was a hard decision till we tried everything and then tried it a second time:)