Since you live in Texas, I would go to the Houston International Quilt Show this year. I'm not sure of the exact dates but it is always the end of October or the 1st of November. Most longarm machines will be there. When I researched mine, I was interested in the APQS and Gammill. I ended up with the Gammill because of the features available and at the time they were having a very good sale. Also, several of my friends have Gammills and that has proven invaluable whenever I have questions. I am very pleased with my purchase. I have had my machine since June of 2011. I believe there are a lot of good machines out there at the present time and you just need to try each one to see what fits you. Good luck.