I took a class with a local long armer who is a great teacher, but I just hated it. I was uncomfortable standing up for hours at a time, I felt awkward and far away from the quilt once I got to work on it, and I thought the set up was a pain. So I tried the Sweet Sixteen several times at shows and then the same long armer let me try out her demo Sweetie. I fell in love it with it every time I touched it, and she sold me the demo at a discount. That was a year ago and I still love my machine every time I sit down and play with her. Most of the time prepping the quilt just means smoothing the backing, batting and top out on my cutting table, putting in a few pins around the edges and being careful as I move the sandwich around. If it's large I spray baste with Elmer's and water in a spray bottle, but lately I haven't even done that. Practice, practice, practice! Good luck in making your choices, and take your time.