Hi there. I am new to the Quilter's Message Board. Looking for advice on purchasing a Long Arm Quilting Machine. If you own one ... I would love to hear what your pros and cons are on any type of Long Arm. What are the must haves, etc. So far, I am leaning towards the Lenni - due to the space factor. I have been quilting for 17 years. Most of my quilts have been quilted on my regular sewing machines. I have found that to be my least favorite part of quilting so I am accumulating many UFOs. :( I don't want to send my quilts out to be done by others any longer. I want the satisfaction of making the whole thing myself. Any suggestions would be so appreciated. Thank you Ladies!

Welcome from Tennessee, sorry I can't help but there are several on here who have them.

Thanks for the welcome! I don't know why I didn't think of joining a blog sooner!

I have the APQS Millennium and love it. I prevously owned 2 HQ16's and they were also nice, but I love the Milly much more!

APQS is wonderful to work with, support is excellent and the warranty is the best in the business. After I bought mine, I went to Iowa and did the factory tour as well as taking the maintenance class, and the folks there are just wonderful.

p.s. I am not a dealer, just a very happy customer!

I can only speak about Gammill. I have had several Gammill's. I had 2 for over 5 years that I rented to the general public. They are still running well! In that time I only lost 1 rental due to a machine problem. That turned out to be something very minor. If I had a little more experience, I wouldn't have lost that rental! I just sold one of them for close to what I paid for it! Gammill makes them in sizes 18, 22, 26, 30 and even 36 inches. For years of trouble free service I'd go with Gammill. As a dealer, for Gammill, I wish I had a dollar for everyone who purchased another brand, and then says....I wish I bought a Gammill! Good luck in your search!

Gammill with computer!

I am interested in this too. I wonder do they all come with a stitch regulator and what brand would be the cheapest

I have a Gammill. It's a real work-horse and I'm very pleased with it.

Welcome PeggySew! I purchased my APQS Lenni just over a year ago and I LOVE her! I find the APQS frames are easy to load and the the stitch quality is very nice (it has a manual & stitch regulated mode). The APQS support staff is wonderful in addition to the APQS Forum for technical assistance and inspiration.

i have 2 noltings and love them both my advice is to get one that has service close by so you can get parts service or help when needed. i went with nolting because the service guy is so good if i am having a problem he can fix it over the phone.

Go to Renee Hadaddin's website. She has a comparison of many different different longarm machines. I don't know her web address, but you can google it.

I have a Tin Lizzie 18LS. Good machine for the $$ but very tempermental. You need a lot of patience. Of course I have not experienced any other machines. Wonder if they are all as tempermental as mine?

It is a 5 page downloadable document that is more than worth the time it takes to read!! I learned tons!

I have a used Gammill and LOVE it..no stitch regulator..no bells or whistles..LOVE it..
Diana
Tranquil Quilting
Jackson,MI

I have a 26" ABM Innova on a 10' frame (that is all I could fit, if I could have I would have gone to a 12' frame).

Pros:
IMO the Innova is the best bang for the buck on the market
One of the, if not the best, frame on the market. It is a 4 roller system so you don't have to constantly adjust the take up roller. Makes no difference how backs are seamed. Solid as a rock with almost no vibration made of aircraft grade aluminum.
24-7 factory customer support (although I have not had to use it, thankfully)
Is not fussy about thread, will take any kind of thread I throw at it.
Not temepramental.
One of the most responsive stitch regulators on the market (The lightening stitch). They introduced it after I got my machine so I don't have it, but I got to test it at the MQX and it was amazing.
Retains resale value, but try to find a used one on the market, you won't. Those of us that have them find no need to trade up, trade in, or sell them! You may be able to get a dealer demo but they are hard to find second hand.


Cons:
Have yet to find one.

I have had an APQS millenium for 6 years and love it.......I live in Canada so not close to service.......I have never needed it, only issues once in awhile are tension and that usually is either humidity or thread. I have the stitch regulator ( wouldn't be without that), no computer.....love doing free-hand. I don't have a longarm business..only use it for my own quilting.

Longarm machine and "cheap" don't go together. Talk to the Pros - many will talk to you on the phone - they love to talk of their "baby". You will find many have owned a minimum of two different brands. Ask lots of ??? Physically go - Try out as many different brands as possible. Listen to those who spend alot of time on their longarm machines, and really evaluate how you will use it. I started out with HQ system, so much down time and frustration, then upgraded to smallest no frills Gammill - no comparison - then last year upgraded to Gammill Vision. My frustration level has dropped 90 percent - now I love to finish my own work from beginning to end. These machines, space investment, and supply investment are costly, so take the time to research.

I have an APQS Ultimate that is an older machine. It stitches beautifully and I just love the frame. Any time I call APQS they are very helpful and friendly. If I was going to buy a newer machine, it would definitely be an APQS.

Welcome to the board. One thing you will find very helpful here is the "search" function at the top of the page. You can look to see if there are any threads started with a specific machine or just long arms in general.

You're going to love this place! :thumbup:

Hello and welcome from the Ozarks in Arkansas.
Happy Quilting

I have a Nolting with an IQ computer. Love them both! Nolting is great about quick shipping of parts and they will walk you through any issues over the phone. Highly recommend!

We bought a Gammill because: The dealer was close enough to call for service, was reliable, and reputable.

After trying out several different machines, I was told: "Pick the one that controls the best for you." I had no idea what it was supposed to feel like, so that didn't help.

My husband's input was to look for the sturdiest hardware. The Gammill frame was the best design we found. One 8 hour day of class was included in the purchase. Before the class I was supposed to practice and get comfortable with the machine. That plus instructional videos was enough to "get me up and running".

Of course, I'm still learning techniques. I learn something new with every quilt completed.

I have an APQS milli and an IQ computer and I love both. All questions have been answered quickly and they have a forum to talk with other quilters that is great. I would purchase another APQS in a heartbeat.

I have the Innova. I love it. The only issue I ever had was the guy that came to set it up. He didn't really know what he was doing. He got it up, but we had to play around with it alot to get it just right.

Welcome to the board from Southern California!!!

Plus-think about the cost of what it would cost to have all your UFO quilts quilted by someone else. For what that would cost, you could have that paid towards a long arm. I bought a Tin Lizzie 18LS in December and know now that I will never quilt another quilt on a sewing machine! I do freehand quilting and do wish I would have bought one with a longer throat. I bought it with intentions of using it for myself but then did a few quilts for a friend who showed them at our Quilt Guild and then several people asked me if I would quilt for them. I have quilted 30 quilts since then. So that is why I now want a longer throat--so I can have more quilting space before having to advance the quilt, since I am doing quilting for others. I work full time as a Hotel Manager at a Casino Hotel so my quilting time is limited. I hope to pay this machine off and then upgrade to a longer throat.

What great info and it helps to hear of your experiences on the LAMs you have. I so appreciate it... keep it coming! I am heading to Google to look up Renee Hadaddin's site. Just reading your replies I am getting more and more excited. Thank you so much and thank you also for the warm welcomes!

I have an A1, and have never regretted the decision! We all love our babies - I have a relative with a different brand and it feels like a boat anchor to me, but she loves it. Go to a big machine quilting show and drive them all, what works for me may not be the right machine for you. Check with the dealers of all the machines. Many dealers have current users who don't mind showing off their machines to newbies.

As for features, in addition to the stitch regulator, I'd insist on ergonomic (movable) handles and a hydraulic lift. LA quilting is very physical. Sometimes just a little tweak in the handles and an inch or two up or down once in a while will make all the difference in your arms and your back.

I have a Gammill Classic Plus with stitch regulator. It is 8 years old and I love it!

welcome from MN

Great advice Shelley! I would never have thought about adjustable ergonomic handles and to me that sounds like a must have! May I ask what type of LA is an A-1? I haven't heard of that one. What is the hydraulic lift used for? Thanks for answering my post. Happy Quilting!

Hi Betty,
I did google Renae H. and even went to her site. I couldn't find the comparison. I will try again tonight, but I must have looked an hour last night. Could mean I am just old? Ha,ha. Things never seem to be easy any longer. Peg

Thanks Deb for being honest about your machine. Good to know.
Peg ;-)

Here's the link to the A1. The hydraulic lift adjusts the table up/down. When we bought the machine, there were going to be 3 who used the machine. Add in my 12 year old, and we have a full foot height difference between the shortest and tallest. When quilting, I change the height up and down an inch or two each hour. It saves my back.

Here's the link to the A1 site. If you go down the page just a bit, there's a picture.

http://www.800longarm.com/index.php

On her website, go to the "store" tab and then you will see "shopping for a longarm." Have fun shopping!

Betty M

Well, I guess I am not ready for the retirement home yet. The comparison is no longer there but just a letter with her conclusion of what she thought was the best LA. I'm still learning though and the site was great. Thank you.

I have a Bailey. The price is very reasonable and its made in the USA. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but it does a beautiful stitch. I have the stitch regulator too. The Bailey comes in 13", 15" and 17" arms.

I just quilt for me, no one else and the Bailey has been perfect. I decided last Sunday afternoon that I wanted to make a quilt for a going away party tonight. I cut Sunday, pieced Monday and Tuesday evening after work, quilted the whole thing Wednesday evening, put the binding on last night and it's in a gift bag ready to go. I don't usually get anything done that fast (who am I kidding? you can usually measure my progress in months or years, not days :roll: ), but having my Bailey lets me do it this fast when I need to.

Good luck with your decision!

Hi - I have a Tin Lizzie 18. It has a stitch regulator but doesn't always work. My husband has to keep adjusting it and roughing up the rails for better contact. I've had it for approximately 6 years so perhaps they've improved it. I also wish I had a bigger throat than the 18" as I have now started a long arm quilting business. At the time I was purchasing it, I was looking at best quality for least amount of money. Good hunting. I know there are some good machines out there.

I think I can eliminate the Tin Lizzie. You are the second person to give me an honest eval of this machine. Thank you for taking the time to write. I can't wait to play on whatever I do get. It may be a couple of months, maybe not. It is such a large purchase I am afraid of making a mistake so I want to make sure to get exactly what I need/want. Thanks!
Peg

Call Tin Lizzie and tell them about your stitch regulator not always working. It sounds like you need a new Y cable. That is the cable the connects to the two encoders. A wire may be going bad in there and then sometimes when the cable moves around, it's a bad connection. It happened to me and I got a new cable and now all is perfect with the stitch regulator.