Long arm machines
 

Hi! I am in the market for a new long arm machine. I looked at a Juke 2200 MVP. Does anyone have one of these? Likes dislikes? I have a tin Lizzy that gives me so much trouble. I spend more time tearing out then quilting😡

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

Sorry I don't know anything about the Juke, I have only worked on Nolting and HQ16. When i started quilting I was working at a quilt store and they had a Nolting Hobby quilter, then upgraded to a 16" Nolting. I really liked it especially the heavy metal table..it did not have many bells and whistles but it worked great...after I left there were many hands using it and they began to have trouble but when it was my 'baby" she work very well.

When I retired I bought a used HQ16 and have not had any major problems. The only thing is the LED lights on the handlebars have burned out and have not found out how to replace it without replacing the whole unit. I have enough light in the room so it's not a big deal for me yet.

When the thread breaks it is basically the thread..I change the cone/spool and most of the time that solves the problem. I also have to use a size 18 needle when I am quilting batiks especially if the backing is also batik.

Go to a big show and try out as many different ones as you can. I tried the Juki last year and wasn't impressed. I ended up buying a Handi Quilter Avante and have no regrets.

Cari

I also have a Tin Lizzie and no end to a couple of issues, until recently. They do have videos up now to address some of these, and I got no joy from the dealer. However, since he sold out and I was able to speak to the tech, and have mostly solved the problems. There are no manuals except to set up the machine, but once I was able to deal with those issues all is fine.

Juki is relatively new to the longarm field. Personally, I would avoid it. I don't know about now, but a couple of years ago there were complaints that the presser foot interfered with ruler work. There were some reviews on Amazon also that were not very flattering. Do a search on the QB here also; I know there were some threads that mentioned the Juki.

Can you go to a quilt show to try out a variety of setups?

Depending on your budget, I would recommend that you look closely at Innova longarms. They get the best reviews, both for use and support. If you go to groups.yahoo.com you can join the two Innova groups there for additional insight. If a new setup is outside your budget, see about getting a used one. Dealers sometimes get them as trade-ins. Also, there are a couple of online websites where you can look for used longarm setups.

Thank you for the info, I have not looked at either one of those machines. I think I need to wait maybe and go to a show.

My problem with tin Lizzy is tension. I took it in for service and the sample they sent back was great. So I loaded my quilt and off I go but when I get back to the other side of the quilt all the sudden I have eyelashes on the back of the quilt half way through the row. Have you come across that?

The Juki LA is simply a rebranded Tin Lizzie. They are the same manufacturer and the same machine, the only difference is that it has a Juki logo. Much like the baby lock longarms are rebranded Handiquilters. You may just be trading your problems in for the same.

I agree that you should wait for a big show to come to your area and try out many machines and do your homework. I have an Innova and I absolutely love it.

I originally had a Tin Lizzie. I actually liked the machine just fine. Never had any tension issues, it sewed very well. This is how I set my tension:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1mRhcquZTM
The issue I had was that the encoders were constantly malfunctioning. I eventually just learned to quilt in manual mode. The other thing I disliked was that it was on an older style frame without a dead bar. You had to lift the take up bar on both sides of the frame when you advanced the quilt. I traded it in on a HandiQuilter and have been very happy.
There may be a couple reasons why your tension goes out during quilting. Eyelashes on the back usually mean top tension problems:
1) When you thread the machine, make sure that the thread is firmly seated in the tension disks. If it's just caught in the edge, it could jump out after you get going. If your machine has a presser foot lever make sure it's up when you thread. Check the stitching every time you advance the quilt. If you see eyelashes, immediately look to see if the thread is still in the correct path. I have read of folks wrapping the thread around the tension disks twice to prevent this.
2) If the eyelashes are only on parts of the seam, then you may be going too fast on curves. Try slowing down.
Finally, there is a dedicated Tin Lizzie forum on Yahoo. You might want to join that for specific questions.

I purchased an Innova - for me that is the best! But, it's like a purse....very much a decision each individual needs to make. Good luck and enjoy testing out the different ones!