Originally Posted by
mkc
I would look more towards the 1600P and its market siblings like the Juki TL2010Q. Straight stitch only, but overall more room to push a quilt into, less head "bulk" to block visibility, and a lot lower cost.
........and that's exactly what I did! I sold the 8900 and bought the Juki TL2010Q for quilting ( mechanical straight stitch only, high harp space) and a Juki DX7 (computerised "fancy pants") for piecing.