I have the hoop that Prism99 uses, in fact I got it based on her recommendation, I love it. Not having to hold the hoop as you quilt makes such a difference. I won't add the same info that many have already but I will add this, if at all possible try to find someone that you can watch while they quilt, that was the single biggest help to me. Once I saw a quilter in the process, everything clicked. BTW, I found my hoop on Ebay for much less than new, and I've seem them on there occasionally since then.