On the broken needles - yes, use a larger size (16 or preferably an 18)...and move your machine more slowly. Moving it faster than the needle is going up and down is what is causing your needles to break :)
Also, if someone is looking for a frame, a great idea is to search Google Groups using the frame name such as Grace or Handiquilter and join them. Almost all of them have a database where the members are selling used frames for much less than retail. Many people are selling right now due to upgrades and/or loss of interest and/or the economy. Also it helps in doing your background research as you can find out so much about them - the good, the bad, the ugly :)
Hope this helps. (When searching for Handiquilter, make sure you read that it's the frame group, not the machine group.)