I suggest you put a quilt on it and give it a try. I did lap quilting before I got my Z44. I don't lap quilt any more. With the frame the quilt stays cleaner because it isn't dragging on the floor. This is particularly the case with a large quilt. I have liked my Z44. Mine is the model with the nylon gears and metal poles. I am not sure what the difference in features is with the older model with wooden gears. If you like to quilt on the frame and research tells you you would like the features on the model with nylon gears, you can look for a used one. I paid $250 for mine used and it included the leader cloths and clamps. I have seen them as low as $150, but I don't know what extras were included. They do take up quite a bit of space in a room. Mine can be made smaller if I am doing a smaller quilt, but I leave it king size because I have a dedicated sewing/computer room. As far as I know, both old and new models are the same size. They have to accommodate the width of the quilt. I quilt with a group on a floor frame. They are nice, but they take up a whole room and take more than one person to put a quilt on. Hope the frame works for you. You got a good buy.