I bought the HQ fusion 2 months ago and loveeeeeee it, I got the 12 ft gallery frame, it's user friendly (I had never used a long arm before) and I had no issues getting it set up and running. I was going to get the Avante and decided that I would spend a few extra dollars now rather than wishing I had got a bigger machine down the road. Do your research, see if you can try them out. I was not able to get to a show to try them all out but still thrilled with what I got.
As far as robotics I opted to not get them as I prefer to become proficient at freehand designs, it seems one would spend just as much time programming the robotics as one would actually quilting, but if you do get the robotics I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
