I have a Gammill but learned on a Nolting. One thing about long arm machines is you do need to get comfortable with making adjustments, cleaning, and doing mechanical work much more so than on any domestic machine I have (and I have 5). It does take some time and experience to get to that comfort level so don't despair. My experience with Nolting is they do have good tech support--you need to call with very specific question and be able to calmly give them the info needed to work you through the problem--that's true with all long arm set ups! Good luck. If you have a friend with a long arm you might ask if she would come over and help guide you.