My DH tells me I can spend up to $3100. on a new quilting machine and frame. I have looked at the Juki 98Q with the Grace pro and lots of extras for $2747. and also at the Babylock quilters choice pro with a pinnacale Frame for $2860. Can you all tell me which you think is better and why and if these two prices are good or not. The Juki comes with GMQ Pro, Juki TL-98Q, Pro SK, Pro Bundle, Lamp & Bulb, Plastic Pattern Perfect, SureStitch 10 Bobbins, Ultimate Guide Book, Laser Stylus, Practice Quilt, Quilt CAD, Skillbuilder 1&2 Combo with booklet #772
The Babylock only comes with the stitch regulator.

I would appreciate any comments, suggestions or advice you all could give.

Are you planning to use the machine ONLY on the frame?

If so, I would probably opt for the Juki. I have the Pfaff 1200 Grandquilter which is very much like the Juki. It is a straight stitch machine which only goes forward and backward - but it does so very fast. It has a nice throat size and is made for quilting. There is a cruise control available that is like the stitch regulator.

The Babylock (I have an Espire) is more of a regular sewing machine with lots of features including quilting features and I would be tempted to use it for all my other sewing needs as well.

Once you put the machine on the frame, you'll probably leave it on the machine (except for maintenance).

That's my 2 cents worth. Either way - I don't think you'll go wrong.

I was told that it is a bit of a hassle to take the machine on and off of the frame and I have a singer that I piece with ( and I have 13 tops that need quilting) so I would probably leave it on.

Make sure you test drive.

I don't know of a local dealer for the Juki but the Baby Lock is from a LQS

You might want to join the homequiltingsystems group at http://groups.yahoo.com and ask there. It is a very active group of midarm/longarm quilters and you are sure to get feedback from people with both types of setups.

There are a lot of machines like the Juki. Pfaff Grandquilter being one. There is also a Brother (sorry - don't know the number) and a Viking. They are practically the same machine - but I think the Juki has better reviews. If you test drive one of the others, you can still get the feel for it.

Oh, that reminds me. Have you checked patternreview.com? You can sign up for free and there are many sewing machine reviews by members.

What I do not like about the Pfaff is that it is a bit loud (it is a mechanical machine) and it needs A LOT of oil. It does not drop the feed dogs but has a cover plate. Not sure if the Juki is identical - but I wouldn't be surprised.

As for the Babylock, I'd also check the reviews. For me, I'd hate to put "that much machine" strictly on a frame. But that's just me.

I have the Brother Nouvelle PQ1500s and just love it. Basically the same machine as the Juki and Pfaff.

I have a Juki on a frame and love it!

Thank you all for the comments

I LOVE my Juki. I use it for piecing and have it on a GMQ frame. I can't say enough good things about it. One of the best things for me is that it is completely mechanical, and can be oiled. There is nearly nothing to break on this machine. No computer, no plastic parts. If you keep her oiled, she will run forever.

I do take her on and off the frame, and I wish I had two of her. Actually, now I want a long arm, and I am seriously considering stretching another Juki. She rules as far as I am concerned.

The stitch regulator is touchy at first. But Grace is a truly amazing company to work with, and so far have solved all of my issues with a 5 minute or less phone call.

I bought my whole rig at Sew-Vac and they were also wonderful to work with. The only thing I would add to your list is leaders- I bought leaders from Kathy Quilts, and they are holding up fine.

Test drive, but if you want a quilting workhorse, the Juki is your girl.

Kathy's Quilt is where I got the packaged deal price and the leaders are included in the deal. They also have free shipping so that is a plus.

I have the Juki TL98Q and love it. I have it on the Little Gracie II frame. I'm in the process of setting up QBOT on it now--just waiting for one of the axis wires to come in to finish setting it up.

Sorry to sound stupid but what is QBOT?

You don't sound stupid at all--we all have to learn! You don't find things out if you don't ask questions. It is an automatic (robotic) system for the quilting machine. You load your quilting design with a SD card, tell it where to stitch and it does it for you. You can still do free motion quilting, this is just an addition to the capabilities.

Thanks for that, I don't know why I sometimes hesitate to ask questions, everyone on this board is so great at answering or pointing you in the direction or even finding links to answers of just about anything that is asked. It would be awesome to have a machine that does this, is it real expensive to set up?

Have you looked at the Bailey's Home Quilter's? I just got a 17 inch, machine, a Grace Pro GMQ frame with a stitch regulator for about $3900, I did purchase a classroom machine it had about 10 hours of use on it and was refrub. before sent to me so I saved a little bit of money. They also have a 13 in and 15 in models for less money. The upside of these machines so I have been told is that they don't require the $20 a spool thread regular sewing machine thread will work on it.

My goodness hug that man! That would earn him at lease a year of his favorite things.

I have not because they are over what I have to spend. I know that DH would okay the extra but I want him to be able to buy a motorcycle in the spring and it would make money too tight for that.

I managed to get the Qbot for less than half price as it has been replaced by a newer system. However, I will say that it still cost more than my machine, frame and Sure Stitch! I couldn't pass it up for the price, though, and it can be used when and if I ever upgrade my Juki to a bigger machine. That was a big selling point for me.

Package #2...
Bailey's Pro Special Package 2 includes our 15 Inch Quilting Machine with the Grace Machine Quilter Pro for $2898.95 and for a limited time there is Free Shipping on this package to the lower 48 states.

Do you know if this includes a stitch regulator?

It does not include the stitch regulator that is another item I think it runs around $600. That would still be within your budget to add. When I was looking and asking other board members whether they thought I needed to get it I did have several say that they didn't purchase it and were happy with their machines.

Can you direct me to a site to take a look at this please?

Here's the link.
http://www.baileyssewingcenter.com/bahoqupro15.html

Thank you for all the information, I really appreciate it.

Good Luck on your decision keep me posted what you end up getting.