decky

I would think that you should try out the ones that you think you would like and then decide which one works best for you. Go on line and read about the different ones and decide which ones you want to try. What works for one person does not always work for someone else.


Pat

gotta-sew

I have watched this video as well. Please rewatch it. The stitch quality on the top is lousy, who knows what the bottom looks like. I would think in a selling video, one would put their VERY best foot forward. Well, the top stitches are loose. The man doing the video makes claims that just aren't true. This makes me question how lagit the rest of his statements are. Just sayin

Prism99

I wondered about the stitch quality too. Not good for a demo!

peggymunday

Be careful with these machines, the Martelli Lacresta Longarm Quilting Machine is a wonderful concept, but I was warned by a dealer in Memphis that the company is in China and it's hard to get someone to work on them or respond with help. She advised that a Gammill is the best choice (well, duh!) and it's American made and easy to get repairs. I too, would love to have a Gammill, it's always been my dream machine, but had seen that same video you saw and was amazed. I called the supposed dealer in Memphis who sells Martelli Lacresta (not now I don't think) and just wanted a little info. Either way, I couldn't afford that or a Gammill for now, so I searched Craigslist and found a wonderful machine - a WOW quilting machine and table. It's a "stretched" Singer 201 and I love this machine. It can be a bit picky with tension and threads, but I think a lot of that is my inexperience. It doesn't have a stitch regulator, but I'm getting better at that, too. The price was great, only $800, and came with machine and 12ft table. The machine has an 18" throat, so it has plenty of range before having to roll the quilt. The company sells them new for about $3700, and centrally located in Coweta, OK. It's an excellent starter machine. The company's website is http://www.wowquilts.com/machines.htm I have pics of my machine on my blog http://peggymunday.blogspot.com/ just scroll down to the Sept 22 post to see the pics. (Need to add some posts, gee, where does the time go....)
Good luck on your quest, just check out the machine you choose thoroughly. Search online to find everything you can on it, and you should be okay. There's alot of good machines out there, new and used, it just depends on how much you can afford.

aborning

I bought a new APQS Freedom in November and have done approximately a dozen quilts on it already and love it. I quilt for customers and had a Tin Lizzie 18 before this and had to replace parts 3 times on it in the 10 months I had it so I switched to a heavier duty long arm since I do quilting for customers. If I was only doing quilting for myself, I would not spend the money I spent on the APQS. If I was only quilting for myself, the Tin Lizzie would have been fine--as it probably would've taken me 10 years to have those three problems with the parts as I quilted many quilts on it in the 10 months I had it. Other people on this Board have Tin Lizzie's and have had no troubles with them. I think with every brand, there can be a lemon--just like when you buy a brand new car--you can get a lemon. Good luck with your decision. Make sure you try every kind that you can as you may base your decision on "the feel" of the machine. FYI--when I was going to buy a different long arm in November, the Handi Quilter Fusion was my second choice--but I went with the APQS because of the "feel" of the machine for me when I quilted with it. The different brands of long arms have different styles of handles --even the APQS had long arms with different style of handles and I bought the one that I liked the feel of the handles for me.

aborning

American Professional Quilting Systems

lfletcher

My Gammill was made in Missouri. I just got it in June of 2011 and I love it.

needles3thread

I have a Tin Lizzie long arm & really like it. The support from the Main Company is terrific. I bought it at
a quilt show in Paducah as a demonstration model.

topstitch

No matter which LA you purchase make sure that you haved GREAT support. I have a Tin Lizzie that is close to 2 years old and have had way too many problems with the encoders and electronics on it. The real problem has been a total lack of company support. I have changed encoders 4 times and I would never buy this machine again. When my bobbin winder stopped working I was informed that most people chose to buy a seperate bobbin winder anyway. Machine is doing great now but for how long, who knows. It is not worth the frustration.

quiltedponies

I live in the sticks and can't get off the farm for long. I did not try any long arms before purchasing.....just did months of reading and research on and off line before making a decision. In November I purchased an APQS Millie with the blissed frame, and quilt glide. The machine is extremely user friendly, and I've been having a ball using it. One of the big reasons I went the APQS direction is because their customer service track record is top notch and their forum members are very generous with tips and pointers even if you're a newbie. I agree that if you have the time and opportunity to try a number of long arms, you should try as many as possible. As for me....I'm thrilled with the machine I chose to buy.