I"m probalbly in the minority here but I had never used a longarm but have quilted on my 30 yr old 1630 Bernina which was a real chore and painful when doing larger quilts. I went to a show and took a class on a Gammill and was instantly sold on LA. I proceded right to the Juki dealer at the show and bought the Juki 2200 QVP Long arm 18" throat with stitch regulator and Grace frame. I thought I'd set up the crib sized frame, but after doing that I quickly decided I'd find space for the 10" frame. (Very easy set up BTW). I am totally self-taught except for the 4 hr class at the show, and find quilting so much fun. I bought a cushy 72' floor pad i lay in front of the LA and have made quilts that are as wide as 110' and as narrow as 24". Remember that the actual sewing machine takes up space and with the Juki on the 10' (120") frame the actual quilting area is about 110". The Grace Co has been very supportive helping me with some technical issues since there isn't any dealer or other user close by me. Thanks Ruth, Marie, Glen, and Chris for solving my little problems and suggesting ways to improve. I have a Janome 8200 with an 11" throat that I can do FMQ on but the LA gives me way more design flexibility and it is much faster to prep the quilt sandwichon the frame than it is to baste. IMHO, If you can find the space and money hold out for the LA!