I purchased George 4 yrs ago at the Paducah quilt show. Main reason was space & he sits in his table like a sewing machine does. I keep a 2' x 4' conference table behind him to add more space to hold the quilt while in the quilting process.
One thing to keep in mind is that when these machines are demoed, they are demoed w/a small quilt sandwich, not a throw size, twin size, queen size or king size quilt. The small sandwiches show the process very well but when you get the bulk of a large quilt under the needle, sometimes things can get a bit tricky, similar to quilting on a domestic machine.
"Learning to dance with George" was a challenge for me but once I learned the "steps" we did a lot better together. I am proficient at stippling & meandering but still have trouble w/feathers. I have found it difficult to use rulers because you still have to drive the fabric & manipulate the ruler all while keeping your stitching somewhat even. That said, I still love him & have had no problems that I could not handle w/either a phone call to APQS or on-line videos. Their product support is wonderful.
If you can manage it, going to a big show & demoing every sit-down machine is an excellent idea. The techs are there & you can drive everything you want to. If you can't, visit LQA & drive everything they have - more than once or twice or even 3 times. Take one of your larger tops & try that so you can get a feel of what you will really be doing.
Good luck & enjoy whatever decision you make. Kathy