Which long arm quilter do you suggest for home use and maybe for a few outside quilts? So many to choose from and so expensive.

first off it depends on your budget
second; you will get a different opinion from everyone that has one
I have the handiquilter 16 and love it!! If budget was not my problem I would upgrade to the Avente. I do not have the room for anything larger like the fusion or gammill

Yes there are a lot of choices and yes they are very expensive. I did a lot of research and test drove only 2 models the HQ 16 and the Innova. I ended up ordering an Innova.

Brushandthimble is right - you will get a different answer from every one who has a long arm! I've had my Gammill for almost 8 yrs & the only thing I would ever replace it with is a newer one! It has the stitch regulator, (which I LOVE) but not the Statler Stitcher, (which I don't like). G' are expensive, but IMO worth every cent. They're amazingly reliable & the little bit of service mine has needed in 8 yrs has been minimal & easy to obtain. (Actually, the service tech comes to me which is great!!)

Your best bet is to try as many as possible, look at your budget & how you intend to use it. Also important, the amount of space you have available to put it!! Quite an issue with most long arms!! Good luck! & have fun shopping!!

I have a Tin Lizzie 18 LS and she is great. I really like the stitch regulator (LS). I looked at several before buying and really liked the setup.The frame is sturdy and I liked that way the wooden frame looked and functioned, the Gammills were out of my price range. Also Tin Lizzie makes some of the other machines so I felt that I should buy from the manufacturer.

Budget is the first step. How much are you willing to spend? Then look at the machines/frames within your budget. You might try some hands on time with ones that are out of your budget to see what the difference is,

The cheapest setups would be a 9" domestic machine like a Juki TL98 on a Grace Frame. A step up from that would be a Bailey Home Quilter (a stretched domestic machine in a 13 or 15" throat) on a number of different home frames from Grace, Superquilter, Hinterberg, B-Line, Handiquilter, home-made, or others. A step up from that would be a Hinterberg Voyager, Homesteader (the original version), WowQuilter, or a stretched Juki TL98/Brother PC1500/etc.

The next step up is where we really start shelling out some money--The Nolting FunQuilter, KenQuilt, Pennywinkle Pro, Hinterberg Indigo, Tin Lizzie/Viking 18 x 8, and more with the option of a more advanced frame.

There are several more levels above these and more options that can me added on until you get up to the Gammills, APQS, A-1 and Nolting Pro's with robotics and auto fabric advance.

An idea to get a machine out of your budget is to go partners with a close friend or relative. Most of us with home systems really spend as much if not more time piecing than quilting so the frame sits unused.

Keep an eye on Ebay & Craigslist for systems. I got a super deal on ebay but you have to know as much if not more than the person you're buying from. Knowledge is power!

The Innova quilting machine by ABM international! Read up on them..they are fabulous!

Wow, I would love to have a long arm, on my dream and wish list!

One of the ladies in my group bought the 30 thousand dollar machine that does the design automatically.
She quilted one of my quilts and it is fantastic.
She originally bought a regular long arm that you quide but her shoulders and back hurt so much that she spent the money on the deluxe model. What a machine, it will take her years to make enough money quilting to pay for it.

I feel really stupid, but what does IMO mean?