getting a new quilting machine?
 

Hello Quilters,

I am thinking about getting a new quilting machine. I am an intermediate quilter. There was a Pfaff for $1,900 at Quilting Hen. I have a small Brother 9500PRW and it is ok for wall hangings and baby quilts but soon I will start a California king quilt for my sister. I am open to all suggestions.

Are you thinking about getting a sit-down machine with a larger harp? Or a machine for frame quilting? Also, what is your budget? That will narrow down your options a lot.

The best thing to do is to go to a large quilt show and really take a close look at all the DSM that are available and test drive them all. Make a list of what features are necessary and what features would be a plus if the price is right. Dealers at a show make very good deals especially at the end of the show because the boxes have been open so they are used and who really wants to lug all those DSM back to their shop?? Good Luck

Not exactly sure what I want but spending $17,000+ is outrageous and really unnecessary. I am not sure what brand to compare machines to.

If at all possible, I would do as ManiacQuilter suggested, and go to a larger quilt show. That way you can not only "test drive" the DSM's but also the longarm machines.
I bought my Viking MegaQuilter (18x8, same as a Tin Lizzie) from Sewingmachinesplus.com - they let me put it on lay-away, and I love, love, LOVE it!!! I paid less than $5K for mine, frame and all. If you look, SMP often has close-out deals where the machines have been refurbished but this is why they're not allowed to show the brand name. This is what happened with mine, but other than "operator error" problems (ME!!), I've not had any issues with mine.
Here's what they have right now -
http://www.sewingmachinesplus.com/18...m-upgraded.php

this LOOKS like the newer version of my machine, plus this one has the better frame (my frame is wooden and uses the metal conduit poles). So, this one is less than $6K. Steal of a deal if you ask me.

Good luck in your search for a quilting machine!!

Are you looking to actually quilt the quilt, piece it or both?
If you are looking at actually quilting the quilt, I would take a look at the Craftsy class: "Quilting Big Projects on a Small Machine" and also the Marti Michell book: "Machine Quilting in Sections", both of which will show you techniques on quilting on a domestic machine.

Sometimes your space availability dictates whether you get a sit-down or frame setup. Frames take quite a bit of space. Common sizes are 10 feet wide (I can get a small queen on mine) to 14 feet wide (necessary for quilting king size), plus you need a minimum of 3 feet on one side to get around the frame, and 3 feet on each side is even better.

I like my Voyager 17/Hinterberg frame set that I bought used from a quilt guild member for $3,000 (quilt guild member was upgrading to a more expensive setup). My "dream" machine is an Innova with lightning stitch, which would be close in price to the $17,000 you mention.

You really need to try out various setups at a quilt show to help figure out what you want. A good rule-of-thumb is to spend a year researching setups before making a purchase.

Edit: I somehow missed that the Pfaff you are looking at is a domestic sit-down machine. For this type of machine, you *really* want the biggest harp you can find, which I think is about 11". The next step up would be a machine such as the Sweet Sixteen which is made exclusively for free motion quilting sitting down (no feed dogs).

Wow! I really like that machine they are advertising. I may call them next week. Thanks for wishing me luck!

Take a look at used longarm machines. Almost all dealers have used machines for sale at really good prices.

Decide what you are going to do with the machine, and functions that you find important. Everyone is different in that respect. After having a Juki and then getting a Pfaff, I determined that one of my "must haves" is a machine that consistently stops in needle down position. My Pfaff was sometimes up, sometimes down and it caused me endless amounts of frustration. I got the Babylock crescendo and I love the larger harp space, it always stops needle down, there's a function that will raise the presser foot when you take your foot off the pedal which is nice for pivoting and not having to remove your hands from your work. Good luck in your search and we'd love to hear what you decide!