Handi Quilter?
 

The simply sixteen Handi Quilter is on sale at our local quilt shop. I have long wanted a long arm but can't afford one. Then this one came up for sale. If anyone has a handi quilter or this machine in particular, could you let me know how or if you like it?
DH has said that he will take me Monday to look at it but I wanted some first hand information before I went.
or if you have any problems with it?
Looking forward to some answers!

You mean the Sweet Sixteen sitdown machine? I have heard only good things about it. What kind of sale price are they offering? Sometimes used machines come up for sale in quilt guilds; seems to me one quilter got it for half price that way.

I have a sweet 16 and can only recommend her. One thing I would recommend is to get the overlay so you don't have any bumps where the machine sits. It makes ruler work much easier. I am still on the fence with the tru stitch regulator. Have not found the sweet spot for me, but planning to do get to know that feature much better in the near future.

I know next to nothing about these set ups, but just looked at the for sale section on the forum here and see someone has a start up system for sale totally different, but just wanted to make sure you had seen it. http://www.quiltingboard.com/items-s...r-t272346.html

Excuse me for jumping in, but the Simply 16 is not the same as the Sweet 16. I've been looking at the Simply 16 on line, but there are no shops near me that have it. From looking at the Handiquilter website I think the Simply 16 is new.

Thanks for the information. She lives way to far for me to even think of picking it up! Nice set up though
The handi quilter is on sale for under $5000 though including table (5 ft.) but not including the stitch regulater. It can be extended in the future if a person want to do larger quilts.

The sale is for the Simple 16 but I think I saw where the Sweet 16 is the same price.

Wow, had never heard of the Simply 16. Must be brand new. The HQ site has this comparison chart of machines:
http://www.handiquilter.com/machine/comparison/

Handi Quilter has a pretty good reputation, but I know nothing about the Simply 16. Do examine the frame to see how sturdy it is. You want poles that don't bend. I know that some of the Grace frames have wooden poles that tend to bend in the middle; don't know what HQ frames are like.

HandiQuilter is a great company, easy to work with, great customer service & tech support. My first machine was a HQ16, quilted a few hundred quilts over a ten year span.upgraded to an HQ Avante last year.

The machine is the same as the Sweet 16 I believe, but the Simply 16 is brand new, so you won't find a lot of reviews on it yet.
I have the sitdown 16 and love it. I don't think I would like to have to reposition the quilt on the bars to do the other half if it was bigger than lap quilt size. JMO

The Simply 16 is a stand up, small table mount setup. It's quite neat how it works and you don't need the room of a big long arm frame.

it is NOT the same machine as the Sweet 16 - and it comes with the table, brand new for around $6,000.

http://www.handiquilter.com/hq_simply_sixteen/


It is a new addition to the HQ line up- and it's got some of the new features that HQ has added. I bought my Fusion right before HQ added most of them.

Be sure to take a mini sandwich (practice quilt) on which to practice on.

I love my HandiQuilter Avante. Handiquilter products are great and have a good reputation.

I have a HQ 16 which is one of the first of their 16s. I bought it used about 2 years ago, bought it for $5,000. came with 10ft table set up, stitch regulator and other stuff. Handles on both sides and I love, love it..

Very interesting! Looks like you have to baste the layers together before you load it on the frame.

There are a lot of used HQ 16's out there for sale. You could probably get a used one for less than $4,000. But the newer table and carriage are so nice.

I bought a used HQ16 also with prostitcher about three years ago. Love, love, love it!!!

Is there any way you can hold out for the Avante used. Maybe you can save up a little more. Just my gut feeling from what I learned over time. I have an Innova long arm but the HQ was a close second but the throat opening on the 16 is pretty small and there are some other differences.

I have a HQ16. I got the ProStitcher when they first came out. Then when I moved my studio I got the newer bed & carriage trolley for the HQ16.
I had thought about the newer HQ's but I really don't have that big a reach anyway. The 16 fits me just right.

My LQS sells Sweet 16 and the people that are buying them are thrilled with them. Our shop owner is fantastic about helping with set up, instructions on how to use, etc. she never stops helping which would be what I would need if I decide to "bite that bullet".

I sooooooooo want the sit down 16.

Thanks to all for taking time to reply. I am reading everything and still thinking thinking. Yes that was meant twice! I will try out both the sweet sixteen and the simple 16, the newest one that comes with the 5' table. This is from a lqs and it is very close to me. If I do get it I will probably get the stitch regulator.

I have a Handiquilter Avante and love it. I've done a lot of quilts on it. My sister and one of my daughters come over to use it and have fun with it, too. Handiquilter is a good company.

I got a Sweet Sixteen about 3 weeks ago. So far, I love it. I have been practicing before quilting an actual project. I love that it doesn't take up a large space. At one time, I had a Janome 1600 on a 60" start-rite frame, but the actual quilting area really limited the size quilt I could put on it. I do mostly baby to single size quilts, but they are rarely the same size. I eventually moved up to a Grace frame set up for queen size, but it took up so much space and we were in the process of downsizing, so I got rid of it, and bought a DSM with a larger throat. Even with the bigger harp, it was a royal pain to push some quilts through it. I thought the Sweet Sixteen was the perfect solution for the type of quilting I want to do, and now I can quit stockpiling quilt tops, and actually get to quilting.

It is a wonderful machine, easy to learn no problems

I had my Sweet Sixteen sit down upgraded to a standup with the Studio frame and love it! Would love to get rid of the stitch regulator to some one but unable to post on board here for some reason Handiquilter is the Best!

I also have a sitdown (due to medical conditions) Sweet Sixteen and love it!! While I haven't used it enough, it is very simple to use and just awesome! I didn't want the stitch regulator, but it may work differently on the Simply Sixteen. Definately take a look. They always say to buy the very best you can afford. Check out how you load the quilt etc. Good luck- Mine is 1 year old today...the dealer drove it up to my house!!
Oh, there is also a Sixteen club (blog) you can join...

I would make sure the dealer will give lessons. If possible I would ask for the name of someone who bought one and call about how it turned out. Not all dealers deliver what they say they will do.

I have the Sweet 16, stand up model, and really like it. I do have the stitch regulator and wouldn't be without it. I had one issue with it after having it for 6 - 7 years. The company repaired it at no cost.

My Sweet 16 is almost a year old (February) and I love it !! Very easy to use....if you practice enough to get your stitches consistent, most people end up not really needing the stitch regulator. My dealer also drove my new machine to my house and set it up, no charge. HQ support people are very good, even called me to make sure setup went well. I haven't actually had to use the support people for any problems with my machine.
I agree with someone else's comment above - DO get the overlay. I also splurged on both extension table sides. LOVE the amount of space you get with those. Watch HQ site, as sometimes these side extensions go on sale.
Good luck !

I just got a used one that is all in pieces. Should I consider getting a new bed and carriage trolley? If so, would the bed go on top of the table? Or in place of the rails that are stuck to the table? The carriage rails have a bit of pitting and damage. SVAL

What did you decide to do?
The Simply Sixteen w metal Little frame seems as great as HQ's other products! It's neat that it can do pantographs, and can be used on one of HQ's bigger frames. I've heard that users find this clipping/hooping system easier for loading the quilts onto the frame. I have the sit down Sweet, and love it.