Does anyone have a HandiQuilter 16??
 

I have been looking to upgrade from an shortarm and have been looking around. I see many selling Handiquilter 16....Is there any reason other than illness, or upgrading that they would be selling them??

ask the person selling, why they are selling- HandiQuilter has been around for a long time, good machines, good company, good customer service- some people sell them as you said- to upgrade, or no longer using- and some people simply find they just do not enjoy long arm quilting- or never really get the hang of it- there is a learning curve and if you 'jumped in' without thinking about that you may become disillusioned and frustrated-find it takes practice and time to become 'good' I know a couple people who bought machines (having never tried one out) believing they would 'start a business' and be making lots of money immediately (this machine will pay for itself in a year!) then they find they are not so good at it- takes time to learn, is a strain on the back, shoulders, legs...then they 'putzed around with it off & on for a couple years...then just decided to sell them off- deciding they would never 'get the hang of it'...so there can be good deals out there on 'barely used' machines (not just HQ's...this happens all the time with many different brands) so, when you see a used one for sale- call & ask...why are you selling it? may be almost new-

I have a HandiQuilter 16 and love that machine. It is easy to use and does a great job. I am guessing that the current owner is in the process of upgrading to possibly the Avante or the Fusion....just guessing. I know that is the reason that I would sell my HQ 16 - for the purpose of buying one of the larger ones. Give the seller a call or contact them and find out....Good Luck!!

Many are upgrading to the HQ Avante for the improved stitch regulator and the extra throat space. With the HQ16, you can start a 12" block at the top, but as the quilt rolls you may end up with 10 1/2". The Avante starts with 15" and ends with 13". So those 12" BOM are perfect.

I have a Handi Quilter that I purchased earlier this year. The lady who owned it became ill not long after she purchasedcthecmachine. She never ran a complete bobbin thru the machine and became ill. It had never been oiled. I would ask the person why they are selling the machine and about service to the machine. I would not hesitate to purchase a gently used machine. Check out the Handi Quilter Forum. People all over the US post machines they are selling. Good luck with your decision!

Handiquilters are great machines, there will be all differnet reasons someone wants to sell. Best to ask when you are interested in buying why the are selling.

It's an entry level type machine. The throat space is not really considered a long arm. Many people are probably upgrading to a larger throat machine.

Thank you all for your input..This is what I was looking for.

I have the HQ16 and the only reason would sell would be to upgrade to a larger size (the Avante) or illness that prevented me from quilting. Love my HQ

I sure would like to find one. I've never seen one in my extended area for sale.