The Juki 98Q is a well made industrial machine. It can be stretched to 18" in the future if you want to go that route later on. The guy that does this has had a bit a trouble with his stretching technique but hopefully he has remedied the problem. I had one stretched and it was dream to use. Had it on a 10 foot frame and even added robotics to it. I've since moved up to 26" system on a 12 foot frame. Again, the Juki machine is a well made machine. If its been taken care of, you should have no problems with it. Ask to try it out before buying if its nearby.