I am looking at purchasing a new quilting machine, I want one that has a large throat 9-12 ins. I would like some input as to which machine is a good buy and good quality, I cant spend a fortune but am looking for something that I wont have to replace for many years. hope you can help with info, models and pricing approx.

I have a Viking Sapphire 830 (an older model) with 11" throat and a Baby Lock Quilters Quest with a 9" throat. Had the Viking for 4 years, no problems. Just got the Baby Lock, no problems. Why do I have 2? Well I quilt every day and I was afraid I might wear one of them out!

I have seen the babylock, they are nice. Unfortunately we dont have dealer right in town but one about 40miles away. Does a 9 in do a queen size quilt, that is probably the max size i would do

I have the Babylock Jane with a 9" throat and I really like it. Does the piecing, and the quilting. Sews jeans beautifully! I drive 90 miles to my dealer and it is worth the road trip. Brother and Janome probably compare, but I like the warranty on the Babylocks, not to mention the service at the dealer.

My juki TL98Q has a 9" throat. It only does straight stitching tho, no fancy stitches. Check ebay, I got mine there at a good price.

I just got a Husquvarna Saphhire 875 and love it. My Janome 6600 had to be sent away for what I thought was a major problem (that's what you get for listening to people that don't know nothing) and started looking at other machines. Anyway I decided on the Sapphire 875, it is an awesome machine. Now I have two great machines, because my Janome is completely serviced and working as good as ever ( it was a fuse).

A fuse in the machine????

Yes, there are actually three fuses in the Janome 6600. They are very small and probably 3/4" in length. The one that went was for the step motor, therefore I got many error messages and no movement. I got it fixed for free because I had purchased the Sapphire 875 from the shop, otherwise, it would have been $150.00. Needless to say, I will definitely take both my machines there for servicing.

OOPS...fingers are quicker than than internet this morning.

That is good to know. I have the Janome 6600 and I love it!! Are the fuses easy to get to or is it something you would want a shop to do?

You have a lot of choices but it depends on how much money you want to spend. You can go with a Juki, Janome, etc or you can get a basic machine like a Bailey http://www.baileyssewingcenter.com/test.html
which is a basic workhorse machine.
There will be those that love each machine and not another...

It is actually something you want the shop to do, for a couple of reasons. If you open it up and try to replace them, it will void your warranty, and finding the right fuse is very difficult. Second, there is a reason why the fuses are blowing and needs to be serviced. Mine was due to a faulty bobbin racer.
All that being said, it was a quick fix and I am glad it wasn't the computer board.
It pays to have your machine serviced by a reputable dealer, otherwise, you end up buying a replacement machine that really wasn't necessary...but, I do love it.

Again...double posts...I guess I'm alittle impatient with the internet this morning...Sorry

Does anyone know of a machine that has a longer throat and a stitch regulator?
Dont say Bernina as I cant afford them.
Im looking for under $1000, am I just wishful thinking.
Looked up Juki but it did not say if it had a stitch regulator.

I have the Janome Horizon with the 11" throat. It also has more stitches than you'll ever need. It came with an acrylic extension table and all the different feet. It has a built in walking foot. It has great lighting so you can see what you're doing. It has a great quilting/darning foot that has 3 choices for the foot part.
I love my Horizon. It spoils me. It lists around 3K but it's worth it.

I have the 6600 and love it! I considered waiting and getting the Horizon. Both of the machines are worth the money!

The only domestic sewing machine with a "stitch regulator" is the Bernina. Domestic sewing machines regulate the stitching with the feed dogs. When you drop the feed dogs you have to regulate the stitching yourself and it's just not that hard to learn.

I have and love a Baby Lock Quest Plus, which has since been replaced by the Serenade, which has even more features. The Pfaff Smarter us VERY similar to these machines, so if you don't have a Baby Lock dealer, try that. I have several machines, including Berninas and Pfaffs, and I think the Quest Plus is a fabulous machine for the price.

thanks for the info,I have been wanting to look at the baby lock also, but we dont have a dealer in town anymore so need to travel, I think we have pfaff but have talked to a gal who does have one and she at times has some problems with it, but she still seems happy. I am looking to stay around 2K or a tad less hopefully

I have a viking quilt designer 11 it has 7 1/2 ' throat now I have a topaz 30 it has a 11" throat I have had the quilt designer since 2006 and it is a work horse I love it. The topaz is new I have only had it maybe 30 days now, so far I like it also. I went with the husqvarna viking we have a dealer close by and I do like the machines.

Im finding out that certain straight stitch machines when used with a small Gracie table can be set up with a stitch regulator.
Im still researching right now but sure am leaning that way.
You can only do a quilt that is lap size but some tables can be extended at a future time.
My local shop has a complete set up for $1500 but they are in the process of moving so cant see it till next Tues.