http://www.wowquilts.com/machines.htm

I have the opportunity to buy one of these refurbished/ stretched machines, but wanted to see if anyone is familiar with them first. Supposed to go look at it Saturday, so any feedback would be great! I guess they take a 201 and make it into this machine, so I guess I might be concerned about repairs, since it is sooo modified.

Let me know what you think :)

I've looked at there website. Not real impressed. Theres no upgrades no stich regulator, and in general not much information on their site. Customer service would be a big concern, seeing how its a S-T-R-E-T-C-H machine. I would say that I've read a couple of reviews on other sites and they seem to like them. Price would be the number one factor. If its a good deal, you can deal with it till you can get something better. Try calling the company to see what kind of costumer service they have and if they are willing to help if you purchase a used machine. A good company no matter what will help. I own a gammill frame(used), Gammill was more than happy to help me out with the set-up of my frame, they even sent me some scematics on the older frame. A little homework could save you a big headache. Good Luck!

i had a friend in canada who swears by hers. so i had bought one at her recommendation. it was very difficult to thread. due to buyer's remorse, i sold it right away. there is a yahoo group for the wow. it is not very active.

Some machines are not made to sew a fast speeds when stretched. Be careful. Even if they stretch the harp, does it change the height difference. To quilt larger quilts you need the added length of the harp area plus additional heighth for ease in sewing. Just an added though to think about.

I looked at these as a possible option in my quest for a longarm I could actually afford.

The 201 sewing machine was an absolutely great one. But, it isn't the best one for free-motion quilting.

It has a smallish class 66 bobbin, which means that you're going to be changing bobbins almost twice as often as with a machine that takes a class 15 bobbin.

The horizontal bobbin can cause more skipped stitches than most vertical bobbin machines.

The horizontal bobbin cannot be accessed from the underside of the machine, which means that you will have to move your machine out from under the quilt to change the bobbin.

I've always wondered why they didn't build this machine on a model 15. I probably would have bought one a long time ago if they had.

I would even like a stretched sit-down version of the 15.

When the bobbin runs out, you can reach in and remove the bobbin case from under the table, change bobbins and replace the case very easily - you're back to sewing in less than a minute, right where you left off and without having to remove the quilt.

To me it looks like a good lower cost alternative for a quilting system. Since the 201 is a very reliable and easy to maintain machine, if a person doesn't need fancy stuff like stitch regulators, etc., I think it's a very good deal. The prices are good.

I have a BabyLock Quilters Choice Professional short arm on a frame. The bobbin is loaded from the needle end of the machine, underneath. I still have to move the machine out from under the quilt to replace the bobbin. There is no other way to do it, because of the rolls of the quilt parts in front blocking access to the front of the machine. So I don't see how a drop in bobbin would be an advantage...you have to move the machine aside no matter what.

No, it isn't any kind of advantage in quilting, especially in the smaller bobbin size - that's why I wondered why they used the 201.

No kidding? I wouldn't have guessed that.

It looks like you could just reach under the frame, change out the bobbin and keep on sewing. Is it the frame getting in your way, or something on the underside of the machine?

With some of my cabinets, I can change out the bobbin from under the cabinet and with some of them, I have to tilt the machine back on the hinges.

I don't know much at all about longarms - I am going to learn soon because I'm going to be renting time on one in a couple of weeks, so maybe some of these mysteries will all be cleared up for me. :)

I was wondering about the modification and possible servicing, as we don't have many good repair people here period. They are asking $525- NEG. I am still not sure it isn't another Craigslist scam, as they have not provided a contact number, address, etc. I may be a bit leery and sure don't need anything that would be difficult in any way, as I make things difficult enough! lol

Thanks so much for your help...I just love this community :)