absolutely. and they all want YOUR money. go around 2x. i know i keep saying this, but this is the best advice:
.try EVERY machine, even if you can't afford it
.wait in line if you have to.
.examine all the features
.what must you have? what would you like? what doesn't matter?
.what manufactures sell reconditioned?
.who takes it back later for an upgrade?
.how noisy is it? does it matter to you?
.how hard is it to raise and lower?
.how large is the work area? can you reach all of it?
.do you want a computerized one or a mechanical one?
.do you want to be able to computerize it later?
.does it have a stitch regulator? do you want one?
.what kind of tech support do they give? for how long?
.are there lessons?
.is there a guarantee?
.is there a dealer near you?
.if you buy at the show, what will they do for you? bargain for what you want.
(they frequently knock something off the price, don't charge shipping, eat the
tax, give you extra bobbins or needles, or all of these. obviously you want all
of these)
.tell them outright what other ones you are interested in. they'll tell you why
theirs is different and/or better.
.is the manual easy to understand? maybe there's a dvd also.
.whatever size they call it, deduct the width of the trolly. i.e. for a 120" frame
you can really quilt on about 110", because the needle itself has to fit
between the frame and the quilt edge. i didn't explain that right, but you get
it.
at any rate, you can load the quilt sideways.
.how hard is it to load? can you reach the cloth leaders?
.most machines have a panto shelf. is it deep enough for you?
.does it come with a laser light for pantos? a pointer for pantos?
.will it accept wooden panto templates?
there are lots of little thing to keep in the back of your mind. when you go, take a list with you, as you go, you'll start lopping things off or adding on.
in the end you'll have the right machine for you and a great time with it.
good luck
:lol: :thumbup: