You need a 12 foot table else you will not be able to do a king quilt. The larger the throat opening of your quilting head the better. You can do a king quilt on an 18 in or 22 in opening but you will be limited in design especially as you progress on your quilt because the completed part will roll up and start taking up space. For this reason I went with a 26 in. opening so I can do 12 inch blocks on point, about 17 inches, and I will not need to flip, take my quilt off the frame and load it the opposite way, when I am half way done. Also I will not need to roll the quilt and do one half of a block first and then roll and do the second half. I found the number one thing people recommended is to buy the largest opening you can afford. So in your case I would go with the 22. I have heard many people are happy with that throat opening. I could see having a 22 opening but I just know the 18 would be too small for me. Hopefully people can answer more of your questions. Take your time to find the right machine and size for you. I took years but I feel have a machine that I will keep for a long time and it will probably be the only long arm I will ever own.
Like some people before mentioned maybe check out the Innova 22 on a 12 foot frame. It is a great set up and many people seem really happy with it. I also thought the Handi quilters were a good value especially if you wanted a computer on it. I liked the Handi Quilter Avante 18 in. or the Fussion 24 in. but I found these machines heavier to operate if operating by hand.
Last edited by Annaquilts; 06-28-2013 at 09:29 AM.