Tin Lizzie 18 Apprentice Long Arm Quilter
 

I'm interested in this machine and was wondering if some of you who have it could review it for me. Thanks so much in advance!

Forgot to say I'm looking at buying it with a Gracie Queen frame.

Are you purchasing from a dealer? I would check very carefully to see what their after purchase support is like. I had a Tin Lizzie 18, with lizzie stitch stitch regulation. The machine itself operated well and was very easy to set and maintain tension. The lizzie stitch encoders, however, were constantly malfunctioning. I got little support from the dealer and no help at all from the company. I learned to quilt without stitch regulation. I found a dealer who allowed me to trade it in on an HQ. I've had my new machine for a couple of years, so perhaps support from the company has improved.

Ugh... that's not good. Stitch regulation is one thing I feel I really need. I was going to buy it from Sewing Machines Plus, clear across the country, so the tech support is going to be limited to phone conversations. I know they updated this machine not long ago... maybe because of the stitch regulators and their problems. I just need to ask some questions of them before I buy.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

check out the Innova. I love mine!!!!

I have no personal experience with TL, but one of my longarmer friends had one and it was pretty much a lemon. She finally got rid of it and bought an Innova, which she is very happy with.

ETA - sorry! I just remembered another friend in an online group I'm a member of. She also had a TL a couple of years ago, and she got terrible service, so bad it was enough to make her consider legal action. I don't remember the outcome, but I definitely remember how much she struggled.

You might want to review these threads:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/links-r...e-t242689.html

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...m-t267687.html

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...ems-t7784.html

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...t263910-2.html

Personally, I know very little about the TL except that I have read a lot of complaints about them on line. For the cost of a TL set up you could get a very nice 18" from Handiquilter or Innova. They pride themselves on customer service and both have excellent reputations. I am a very satisfied Innovian. Also I would not underestimate the value of a good local dealer. You may spend a few hundred more but the local service and support is worth it.

Thank you so much. This is just what I needed to know. I am still in the researching (and WANTING) phase of long arm pursuit!

Sewbizgirl, this machine looks like a newer version of mine (Viking MegaQuilter 18x8 - which is a re-branded Tin Lizzie). I actually bought mine from SewingMachinesPlus as well, and my frame is a wooden Grace frame.

I've had my machine for about 10 years now, and absolutely LOVE it!! Any issues I've had with the encoders (which controls your stitch regulator), I was able to fix myself. I can't really say how SMP's service is, because I got most of my help from a Yahoo group (now a Facebook group) where everyone had the same machine. The moderator is actually a VMQ (Viking MegaQuilter) dealer, and she is absolutely the greatest at helping everyone, even those of us with older machines.

One thing to understand about SewingMachinesPlus - a lot of time, they get machines from the manufacturer where there was a whole "batch" of "bad" machines... then SewingMachinesPlus's techs would completely recondition the machines and sell at a cheaper price. In some ways, these "reconditioned" machines are actually better than "new", because they've been gone over with a fine-toothed comb, and issues/problems taken care of.

With all that said, I have to say I would definitely do it again, as I got a STEAL of a deal on my machine. And even after 10 years, she's still going strong. I do not have a robot system to go with it... and probably will not get one.


Whatever you decide, one thing that I HIGHLY recommend is that you find an online group (like I did) who all have the same machine, so you will have a ready resource of knowledge for learning about your machine.

Thanks Leta for the good advice.

I've had mine for 4 years. I love it. I can't even count how many quilts I've done on it. Only had it in the shop once.