Went to look at a longarm for sale...(need advice from longarm professionals)
 

I went to look at a 3 yr old crown jewel longarm (computerized and with a frame) that a friend of a friend has for sale. ($10,000) When I get there, she starts quilting a small lap size quilt only to have issues with the bobbin tension almost the whole time. Then we switched to a quilt top I had brought so I could learn the computerized part. She can't get the computerized part to line up to find the center of where the flower was to start. So, then we decide to just fmq my quilt and and go to baste along the sides and top edges and when she changes the stitch length to 5 from 12, the top part of the stitches are super loose and are only catching every few stitches.

Sadly, it seemed there was one issue after another.

Should I be concerned if I want to purchase this machine? Or was today just a fluke bad day and these things happen? It's a lot of money and I don't want to regret purchasing it/wasting my money.

Why is she selling it? Perhaps she has never learned how to properly use it. Most L/A have tension issues that will occasionally need addressing - did it appear that she knew how to address the tension and just couldn't resolve or perhaps she was flustered because she really did not know what to do. The computerized portion also has a big learning curve - just wondering how much the owner has actually used the machine and successfully quilted with it.

A long arm is just like any other sewing machine, it may just need to be serviced, but it also may need major work done on it. You did not say how often she has used it. It may be seller is not really comfortable using it. Can you find a dealer to talk to about the problems? They may be able to give you some Idea what the problem may be. Is the machine still under it's warranty? If so would the seller be willing to have it checked out? When was it last serviced, and where. Could you contact the service rep. and ask condition of machine and any major problems that were found. Are there classes local you could take if you did buy the machine? From what you have said I would not invest in it without more information on the machine.

It may be just her but I would not buy a machine that could not run properly.

She uses it often as she longarms professionally. She said the service rep/tech isn't very knowledgeable about the machine and sadly the only one in our area. So she doesn't call them out often.

If she is using it professionally, the machine has probably seen a lot more use than the average long arm. Combine that with a local dealer that is not knowledgeable, I would pass on that machine.

I agree with UFOs Galore. For $10K you could get a brand new stitch regulated set up the same throat size as the Crown Jewel (18"). In addition you would probably get some training and at least a year warrantee. I would run away from this deal and keep looking.

The price includes the computerized which is close to $8,000 alone so it is a good price IMHO. I would not even worry about the fact that she quilts professionally BUT if she does that---she should be able to get the tension right easily. That is a big red flag.