When I test drove long arms this past winter and spring, I had a couple that had me drooling, but, decided on Tin Lizzie because the dealer was approx 1 hr away compared to the 4-10hrs for the rest of them. That being said, it really didn't matter because the dealer never came to give me the 8 hrs of free instruction she promised and has yet to ever return any phone calls I made to her this spring. So don't buy on the basis of the closeness of the dealer. Buy what feels best to you. I do love my Tin Lizzie, she is all I will ever need because I only quilt for myself and a couple of friends that I quilt and they do the bindings on mine for me. Good Luck with your choice.

We did the same thing, My husbands choice was a Gammill for me. He researched and for the money and the warranty and the quality. Gammill was the way to go. I have the premier. I am not into the computor generated quilting. I want to quilt myself. I can always add the computor later.
My hubby is an electrician and mechanic, he can repair anything except the cat. lol So truly trusted his choice! We attended several quilt shows and tried them all. The seller for me was little vibration compared to the others. I have had my machine for three years now. Love it! Happy shopping to you...

Is there going to be a big quilt show near you soon? They usually have all the machines set up so you can play with them all and get a great show special too!
Keep in mind they're sometimes glitchy because they set them up quick, so might have some balance issues, but you'll get the general feel of the machines.
I've narrowed my choice to the innova. I like the removable sew head and the optional cording attachment.

When we finally got ready to buy, I got a Gammill. I "test drove" most of the best known brands at quilt shows and it was the one I felt met my needs best. I still love it, although I wish I had bought the stitch regulator. I'm going to have to retrofit and it will be expensive.

I love my purple Nolting Fun Quilter 20". As said before, customer service is the best of any I have heard of. It is made 100% here in the USA in Iowa. Even all the parts are made in USA....very rare these days!!

Good luck deciding.

the best advice i could give you is to go to a large quilt show, and try all of them before you buy it, when I purchased mine, i got it from an hour away(from my house) so location is alsew an issue, but do your homework, write down the features you like, , like does it have a thread cutter, and will i use it that much, do try as many as you can, i tried the handi quilter 16 and fell in love. so i bought one, one MUST tho is a stitch regulator, keeps stitches even when going fast or slow. happy hunting!!
katz

I agree that we all love the one we have for the most part. I have had 4 different brands of longarms and they all but one served their purpose. I do feel that customer service and local support are largely important. Not just for repairs, but for those little questions that come up. Ease of maintanance is a biggie for me. When I decided to be a dealer, I went with Nolting. I feel that they are the easiest to maintain, have great ease of movement, and the company is the picture of customer service. And for the money, you can get a top of the line system for about 3/4 of what other companies are charging.
The last thing one should consider is resale value. There are several companies in the longarm market that offer their used machines for such a low price to create cash flow that they destroy the resale value for the customers that might want to trade up or have to sell for personal reasons.
All this being said, test drive all of them you have access to and keep good notes about features you like and don't like. Then go back to the two or three that you liked the best and quilt, quilt, quilt! You will know which one is best for you.

I have a Gammill. I love the machine, but my experience with the dealer I chose was a nightmare. Whatever you choose, before you buy, be sure you are comfortable with your dealer and that they have a good support system for training and mechanical issues.

I love my gammill! Just purchased it after months of research.

In my mountain community the count is Gammill 8, HQ 1.

Each an every person love their machine.

I have a Gammill and it has lots of bells and whistles,. At my last Long Arm Guild meeting two of our ladies were raving about the Innova, they sold their Gammills and bought the Innova, I agree it is a personal preference. I am new to LAQ, but I do have problems when changing threads on my Gammill. I sweat bullets everytime something goes wrong because of the amout of money I spent for it. It is a love/hate relationship. Just be sure you test drive alot of them b4 you buy.