When I was deciding on my LA I almost went with a handiquilter. But then I tried an Innova. The price of the machines were comparable and I felt I got a LOT more bang for my buck with the Innova. I did a lot of test driving on the Handiquilter sweet 16, took the class at the shop that was selling them so I could be certified to rent time. I used the Avante 18" at a class at MQX year before last. Nice machine but IMHO the Innova is nicer and a better value and the rack set up is way better. Innovas come 18" 22" 26" and one more size up, I think it is a 32 or 36" throat(way too big for hand guiding, that size is for those doing a computer set up.)
I ended up buying my dealer's 26" demo machine and I have not regretted it one tiny bit. I got a one year warrantee with it and haven't had a bit of trouble. They came to my house and set it up. The only regret I have is not having enough room in my home for a 12' rack. But 10' I can quilt 100" wide quilt quite easily, think I may have done one just a little wider, but it is a pain doing one that big.
That said, dealer support would be a deal breaker for me. A good dealer/sales rep that is available for trouble shooting and can come to your home to set up the machine is worth their weight in gold. So if you don't have an Innova dealer close by then by all means look into getting the Avante.