We looked at both in the long arm version and the person selling the HQ told me the Babylock has better service. We ended up going with a different brand. I tried the Baby Lock, HQ Sweet Sixteen (sit down), HQ Avante and HQ Fusion. I liked how the Baby Lock ran and the HQ Avante but not the HQ Fusion. The HQ sweet sixteen(sit down) was so much fun. I spend a good amount of time on it. I think it is a fun machine. I did not use the stitch regulator and think it would drive me crazy how it is loose with the machine and you have to attach it to your quilt sandwich. I just wanted a frame machine but enjoyed trying the sit down. I used those machinger quilting gloves and that made a big difference. Also look at the opening from the machine and other options to see if they are equivalent.