If you want to go into business....you want a dependable and sturdy machine. You also want to think about repairs and maintenance of the machine. You don't want to have to pull the machine off the frame and send it back to the company for repairs. I have an APQS Lucey but I do not quilt for others. However, a lot of maintenance and repairs can be done by the owner as the company offers a lot of video's and a manual. Also the techs can often help over the phone. One of my friends had a longarm which she had to send back to the factory for anything but simple fixes. When you have to do that....you are down for weeks if not months. The best longarmers in my town have APQS machines....some are used for freehand work and one is used for computerized. If you truly love freehand work, you can always start there and add the computer later. I would probably checkout and use if possible, APQS. Innova, and Gammill's. When I was trying to decide, it was between APQS and Innova. Basically, I chose APQS because they had a demo sale and I got a good price and also, I like the looks of the table better. I am glad I got the machine I did although it is one of the lower models. I do mostly freehand overall designs which are fairly quick to do and get the job done of quilting the quilt. Most fancy custom work is also done freehand and with the use of rulers. I basically like either of these two methods rather than the look of computerized quilting. Oh, and I did upgrade to "bliss" which makes it super easy to move the machine.