I am in the research stage of buying a floor hoop. I have it pretty much narrowed down to Hinterberg, and Grace2. I would love to hear pros and cons on each of these, and how do determine what size would be best.
Do you measure from a point on your hand to a point up your arm?
I'm pretty short (5'1") and it seems like so many of the floor hoops even when adjusted as low as I can get them put the hoop about halfway between my elbow and shoulder.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

My hoop sizes are 18 and 24" and they are way too big. (I am 5'6") so you would want a 12" or 14" hoop for the stand. The bigger hoops are nice because you can get to so much of the quilt without re-hooping. But, when you can't comfortably reach to the center of the hoop without bending way forward not good and you'll strain your back/shoulders. I like my hoop height to be about even with my elbows, but if your floor hoop is just a little to high even when down as far as it can go you can use an office style chair and adjust the height of that so it is higher than normal. Foot rests will give your feet support. In addition, a really good hoop will adjust to whatever angle you need. Also, when using my floor stand when quilting I have even more needles "going" at the same time. That way I don't have to turn a large quilt quite so often or re-hoop. When I go from the center towards me and get close to the hoop, I park the needle and start another run with another needle. (Does that make any sense?) My floor stand and hoop was made by Katchina Woodwerks out of Mesa, Arizona. It will adjust low enough that I can practically sit on the floor and quilt.

I use a Jasmine Easy Spinner with a 18" hoop and that works perfect for me. I quilt small and big items in it.
Important for me is that the floor stand has a robust construction and it stands firm on the ground, even if a big quilt hangs down from the hoop. Because I only quilt in one direction I need to turn the hoop very often and the floor stand has to be robust.
I sit on an office chair which is adjustable in height.

I've come to the conclusion I am not meant to be a hand quilter! I am hoop poor because I've bought them all & I've only quilted 3 quilts by hand. I would love to do a couple more before I die but I'm just not sure if I will! I have the floor hintenberg rotating(which I would gladly sell), adjustable floor model that I bought & never used, I have a 24" quilting hoop that I've used, I have a 17" that I've used, I have 2 lap hoops I've tried using, plus I have the pvc floor model with the adjustable legs that I've used. LOL all for 3 quilts! I've been told that the Hintenber rotating hoop is suppose to be the best on the market because of the construction. I bought it, was going to use it & decided I'd use it for displaying my quilts. NOT, I don't have room to put it! But a quilting hoop is a personal preference. I prefer to machine quilt most of my quilts but I ENVY those that hand quilt. I would love to be able to be a hand quilter! Good luck!

I have a Grace hoop 2, with an 18 inch hoop. I bought it so I can quilt in the living room, which I haven't been able to do because the lighting isn't very good.

It is very adjustable for height and tilt, and seems to be sturdy enough. I found that the square hoop didn't hold the quilt sandwich as well as a round hoop - it kept slipping - but that might be because I was working on the edge of a quilt, and because I usually quilt in a very sturdy Hinterberg floor frame.

As for hoop size, choose one where you can comfortable reach towards the center. I'm tall, and for me 24 was too big, and I felt 14 was too small because I'd have to move the quilt too much.

Janet

I just use a hoop without a stand. I felt I had to lean forward to far to use the hoop in a stand.

I have a Hinterberg floor hoop and am very happy with it. It swivels and tilts so while you are quilting you don’t need to move the entire hoop. When not using the hoop will swing up (hope this describes it right) so that it is smaller and it fits in the sewing room closet when not being used. It's a well made and excellent quality hoop.

That's the same one I have.

My concern about the Grace2 is the upright. The hoop looks like it would be great for smaller quilts, but it seems the design would make it much more difficult to move from area to area on a larger quilt.

What size hoop is that on your Hinterberg? And do you have a price in mind if you really want to sell it?

I found it pretty easy to move the quilt from spot to spot, but rotating the quilt would be a problem. It wasn't a problem for me because I quilt in a frame, but it might be for someone else.

Janet

You explained it much better than I did, rotating the quilt is my concern.

Jasmine really needs to work on their website! I was never able to get pics to come up or much info... seems like they expected visitors to already know what they wanted and be ready to simply click a button to purchase. Which knocked them out of the running in my researching.

Sorcha,
I agree with you - I just checked the Jasmine website and there isn't much info about the Easy Spinner. I bought mine 16 years ago here in a LQS and I really loved it from the beginning - but it is quite pricey compared to other hoops. At the moment it seems to be nearly impossible to find a quilt shop selling the Jasmine brand. I think this is sad.

I agree. I had the Hintenburg and sold it because i had to sit too straight and lean over it. Bothered my back after a while. I prefer the hand held hoop.

I'm one of those strange people who prefers to sit up pretty straight so that should be a plus...

I have back problems and do not use a hoop at all. Just baste or glue layers together really good and quilt away. You might want to try it before you spend money on any hoop. Some folks like them but I can't stand the stress on my back with awkward positions.

I use the Jasmine Easy Spinner.
http://www.maliasneedle.com/Jasmine-hoops.htm
I like it because you can tilt it or rotate it to any position that you want. I'm able to adjust the height so that I can pull it in close to me so that I don't have to bend over it. If you have short arms I would go with the 14" hoop, even if you do have to move the quilt more often. Good luck in your search!

http://www.jeansimpressions.com/
This is the frame I use. Tried sitting at a floor frame but too hard on my shoulders. Watch the video.
Watch Char...gal on the left..she's using the frame and you can see how it works.

i love to watch her quilt!!

Yep you might want to try handquilting without a frame.....much more relaxing! I pin generously and go for it!

I had briefly considered a lap hoop, but since I am unable to use a lap frame for my rug hooking and rug punching, (short+round=VERY little lap LOL) I figured I would save money by not taking the pitstop at lap hoops. Plus being in a small apt, having a hoop that can stand in a corner rather than needing a table area to set it down on...

I also have the Jasmine easy-spinner, and I love it. I had been given a Hinterberg floor hoop, and I never could get it to stand up when I put a quilt in it, the weight made it fall over. I think it was an old design, and they may have improved it since then. I couldn't afford a new Jasmine but was lucky to find one on ebay. I also have a lap stand hoop that I love for portability, I found it on ebay also, but it is like the one they sell at Keepsake quilting. I am short also and would tell you to stay with an 18" or smaller.

Hoop
 

I recently inherently a Jasmine Heritage Easy Spinner Floor Hoop 18” and Stand in near new condition made of solid maple. I found this, http://www.maliasneedle.com/Jasmine_hoops.htm. Unfortunately I’m a novice sewer and don’t really quilt. I’d love to find a new owner to use and appreciate it! If interest please let me know and we can chat :)

The hoop in my lap works best for me also. I'm shorthttps://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/boy.gif