I think that if I were going to invest in a LA, I would do whatever it took to attend the Houston Quilt Show. I've not been but I think every LA on the market will be set up and available to try out. Seems like that would be the easiest way to compare them all. And if you had done a little research ahead of time and gotten your choices narrowed down to a few, you might even get one at the Show for a special price.