You really have to go look at the machines and stand in front and go through the motions of quilting before you make a decision. How smoothly does the head move? If it is too heavy for you, you will tire quickly and it takes hours, not minutes, to do a quilt of any size. How far do you have to stretch, are the handles too close together that can make it uncomfortable for you in the long run.Getting the feel of these machines is soooo important. We get so excited about buying a machine, we jump and are sorry later. I have my 18"longarm up for sale and I bought it thinking it would do everything I could possibly want to do. Now, I find I need a 26" to be able to do the quilts I have designed. Oh well, live and learn, I guess.