Originally Posted by
feline fanatic
One thing to be aware of, the regulator that comes with the Baily is not a true stitch regulator, it is a speed controller. IOW, when you come to a complete stop with a true stitch regulator the needle stops, it does not continue to sew and will not sew until you move the machine again. The Bailey it will continue to sew. It does not come to complete stop when you stop, you can only set speeds with the Bailey stitch controller. A true stitch regulator is computerized and you set it by stitches per inch not by a speed setting. It has sensors on the wheels of the machine tray that contact the rails of the rack and that is what senses your speed. A true SR usually adds a couple of thousand or more to the cost of the LA set up. (the new lightening stitch that is made for the Innova, if I were to have my machine retro fitted with that, would set me back $5000)
That being said, I would not be without the stitch regulator. I love it. I tend to stop and think a lot while I am quilting. I also need that needle so slow waaaay down for me when I am doing some very detailed work, especially work that requires dead on back tracking.
Thank you very much for this very useful information. I had no idea! I will just have to either wing it without the real stitch controler or get used to the one they have. I will still go with Bailey's not only because their machine is the ONLY one in my price range, but also because I know I will depend on their customer service which is excellent. I just have my heart set on it. Maybe one day, they will come up with a true stitch controller and I can upgrade. I really want a long arm, quilting a queen size quilt on my mechanical DSM can get rather frustrating at time.