2 of my guild friends have bought this machine. They are both quite pleased but just getting the hang of theirs. They bought it at a quilt show from the Block Rocket Co.
I thought the leaders were awfully short and there is no bar to pin the top on. You must totally float the top. I do that alot of my HQ but not for the really big ones.
For your budget I would be looking for a used HQ16. Fabulous support from HQ. I bought mine on Craigslist several years ago. It is one of the first models and still works great. I quilt close to 100 quilts a year on it.