Yesterday, my husband and I spent a great deal of time looking and test driving longarm quilting machines. In the end, his favorite saying "let's pull the trigger" came out of his mouth. Gasp! So, let's say a person wanted to make the investment (sigh, close eyes, slide the credit card, and sign) which longarm quilting machine would you buy and why?

Space available for it is always a big consideration. Also figure out what kind of cash (or not) is available for the expenditure. Are you already familiar with the use of a long arm machine? If not, are you totally infatuated with the idea of quilting? If you are not a quilting fanatic, I would recommend against purchasing a long arm machine.

We are very happy with our Gammill machine! If you intend to quilt full-time (or close to full-time), buy the largest machine and table that you can afford and have room for!

Happy Quilting!

There is no one best longarm machine anymore than there is one best car. Try out as many as you can. Pick the one that works for you best.

Gammill.....no question. That's my choice. Try them all for sure. I did. I think if you try them all, you will get a Gammill. Good luck in what ever you decide!

I love our Nolting. I have a friend who is fanatic about her Innova....it's all personal preference on what fits you best, what features you're looking for, and most definitely consider the space where it will be.

Also take into consideration maintenance/assistance from whomever you purchase from. Having a local dealer close by was a big part of my decision.

Have fun deciding :)

Christine

ditto on that!

I love my Gammill.

I agree - personal preference, space available, type of quilting to be done - all determine what kind of machine is best for you. I think they are all good, and all probably have their weaknesses too. I bought a 26" Innova with a 12' table and I would do the same again. Of course if money were no object I might get more options, but I would buy the same brand.

i would get the largest frame and throat my budget would allow and then i pick some one local who sold that setup so you could have lessons and easy access service/repairs.

You said you took a lot of time test driving different machines. Which one did YOU like best? A local dealer is nice. Available space is an issue. Remember that you need enough space to walk around the machine. If you are going to do pantos, they are done from the back on some frames so you would need enough room to also work from the back.

Of course, we all think ours is the best - that's why we chose it! I agree with what others have said in that it depends on the amount of space you have and how comfortable YOU are with the machine. I'd definitely recommend getting one with a stitch regulator, and I love my automatic fabric advance, but the bottom line is that you have to feel that the machine is good for you. You want the handle position to be comfortable (or able to be adjusted to it is) and you don't want the machine to be so heavy you feel like you have to manhandle it to get it to move.

Try to narrow it down to two or three, compare prices, and then spend some more time on each of them. You'll know if it's the right one.

Incidentally, my dealer isn't close by, so I don't get on-site service, but they often can tell what the problem is from the description and by listening to the machine over the phone. Seldom does the machine have to be sent in for service - they're able to talk you through the repair while you're on the phone!

Go with whatever is good for you. I have an APQS Millinnium with a 14 foot table and love it. Their customer service is great. Do try them all and see which one you fall in love with and congrats, you have a fun time ahead of you..enjoy it.

I agree with EIQuilter that having a dealer close by doesn't seem to matter much with longarms, and I wouldn't make my decision based on that. I think all the major brands give some free classes when you first buy, and after that there are lots of online classes, quilt show classes, etc. I also recommend getting a stitch regulator. Whether you need some of the other options (fabric advance, automatic channel locks, etc.) depends on the machine you select, what kind of quilting you plan to do, and your physical condition, among other things.

I love my Nolting,,,, simple and easy to use, Trouble free, and the customer support is awesome.

I love my handiquilter and would buy again in a heartbeat. Like mentioned above, we each love the one we have:)

I tried them all at quilt fest last year. I went back to Handy Quilter 4 times. It was the one I bought. But it is like a car. you need to get the one that fits you best. Make sure you have enought room for the table they take up a lot of room. I love mine and would buy it again in a minute.

I second Handiquilter (although I got the sit down model that is more like an extended sewing machine).....

But I agree with test driving as many as you can first!

My friend has a statler and absolutely loves it!

Definately test drive, I also rented some time at a local shop, then fell in love. I chose a handiquilter, love the service from my local shop. I was also able to afford it sooner as I got a basic machine then added a stitch regulator a year later.

I test drove a TON, first of all. Then I asked every single longarmer-for-hire in my area that I could get a hold of what they liked, what they didn't like, and whether they'd buy that machine again if presented the opportunity. I was amazed by the consistency of opinions I got in my area - all of them told me that they'd get an APQS Millenium. So after a long chat with the dealer, and trying out every kind of machine I could (Some didn't have dealers in Canada, which was a shame), I went with that one. I love it.

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.

If you go to Renae Haddaddin's (sp?) website you can get an article of research she did on many long arm machines.

I have a Gammill and love it!

I "pulled the trigger on and HQ Avante' 18 last April and I am so happy with it. One tip to offer you on any machine you decide to purchase. Ask what the "CASH" price is. I found that there is as much as a 16% markup on the machine if you use a credit card.

I think that if I were going to invest in a LA, I would do whatever it took to attend the Houston Quilt Show. I've not been but I think every LA on the market will be set up and available to try out. Seems like that would be the easiest way to compare them all. And if you had done a little research ahead of time and gotten your choices narrowed down to a few, you might even get one at the Show for a special price.

if i had the money i would go for APQS and spend the extra for their automatic frame. so nice to just step on the foot pedal to advance your quilt to the next section.

I own a Gammill and love it. If I were to buy a second machine, I would consider the Innova. I hope you have tested that one also.

Innova-after test driving all of the major ones at a quilt expo.We chose it over APQS and Gammil. For price ,feel,support and not needing to oil the machine all the time-just the hook where the bobbin case goes.

I totally agree with Christine. I, too, have a Nolting Pro 24 w/12 ft. table and absolutely love it.

I started with a Juki on a small Hinterberg frame just to see if I really liked quilting on a frame. Well about 2 years later I upgraded to a Voyager on a stretch frame. Used it for 5 years and am now using the Nolting 20" on my stretch frame and saving for the metal frame. I love love my Nolting more than any of the others!!!!! I will probably not upgrade anymore except for teh frame:)

I love my 24" Pro Nolting.
I did my homework and decided on this machine for many reasons.
It is made in the USA,,the cust service is the best, very easy machine to operate and very easy to maintain. Parts are easy to get if needed and not expensive. The needles and bobbins are not expensive.
I can use any brand of thread on my machine and never worry about tension.

I have a LA business and this machine is a workhorse.

I got all the bells and whistles,wheels in the frame,12 ft frame and the cost was what the other machine started at.

Do your homework and test drive as many machines as you can. It's just like buying a car..what I like you may not.