Originally Posted by watson's mom
Pfaff also makes an 18" quilter now. I have tried it several times and will soon have one of my own. It is smooth and easy to use.
I recently (October 2009) purchased a Pfaff 18.8 quilter with the Inspira frame. I love the machine and can quilt a throw (70x70) in about 2 hours, once it's loaded onto the frame.
I spent about $7000 on my set up and that did not include the QBOT, something I felt I could add at a later date. I did spend about $350 extra for the 3 foot extensions which enabled me to set the frame up at 8 ft. as I did not have the space for the full 10ft. With the 8ft set-up, I can quilt up to approx 80 inches. I figure if I ever have anything larger than that, I can send it to my longarmer!
After attending a quilt show this weekend and playing around with some of the different machines and frames there, I found that my machine moved more freely than many set-up on a wooden frame. The Inspira frame is aluminum. I didn't look at wooden frames prior to purchasing.
My advise to you is to find a dealer who provides support for the machine through the learning curve!