Ansley26 Question
 

I am thinking about purchasing the above referenced machine and am on the fence because I cannot find any good or bad reviews. I have searched this site, yahoo, facebook and general googled, but all I have found is two people having trouble with skipped stitches. Does anyone have any opinions regarding the Ansley26? If you own one and it became irreparable would you buy it again? If anyone has any insights I would greatly appreciated it. I don't want to spend the money and totally hate the machine.

When shopping for a machine it is always best to ( test drive/ try out) the machine.... What I love you might hate, or what I hate may be exactly what you love.... Try it before you buy it.

I had to Google Ansley25 to find out that it is a Tin Lizzie model of longarm machine. You can do a search here on the QB on Tin Lizzie and find comments from people who have that brand of machine, even if it's not the model you are looking at.

You might want to join the homequiltingsystem group at http://www.groups.yahoo.com and ask there. It's a large group of quilters using many different setups, and there should be some who have the Ansley26 who can give you the pro's and con's of the machine.

Tin Lizzie is more of an economy brand of longarm machine, not top of the line brand. Most people who have had one of these and require a replacement would go to a better brand. My personal favorite brand is Innova. If I were purchasing new, I would probably be looking for an entry level machine here:
http://www.innovalongarm.com/shop/in...ge-detail.html
It would be smaller than an Ansley26, but Innova setups tend to retain their value very well and if you get "hooked" it would be relatively easy to upgrade -- especially if there is a dealer near you.

Have you tried out a variety of longarms? I tried out quite a few at state quilt guild shows before purchasing my used, entry level Voyager 17/Hinty setup. I also tried out that setup at the seller's home before buying.

We could probably make better suggestions if we knew your budget and what you are looking to do with a machine -- for example, quilt for yourself only or also for others (for profit).

I tried to join the yahoo group but seem to be technically challenged for some reason. Tried to look on Facebook but found nothing. I am nowhere near a dealer to test drive anything, live in a bitty town in western Ma. I have a mid arm on a frame and want to upgrade but would like to keep it under$10,000. Zero % financing for five years is a nice perk, but not if the machine doesn't perform well. I can stay with my mid arm and make it work, just hate the constraints of 4 -6 inches. I will try to get on yahoo again and see if anyone has complaints. Thanks for your responses.

I agree. It is just like shopping for a car. I wouldn't buy any car without test driving it first.