That's part of it. True longarms are single purpose, industrial machines and cost many thousands of dollars more than the home style frames. They are usually sold with the sewing head and frame and include setup in the price--sometimes even training or camp. The big boys can have hydraulic lifts and auto quilt advance. There are also some midarms in this class--16-18" industrial machines. Some people are referring to even the 9" Juki TL98, Brother PQ1500, Pfaff GHQ1200, etc. as longarms but if you can pick it up and sit it on a table to hem curtains--it's not a longarm to my notion.