Well, free Motion Quilting is a bear on the first Tin Lizzies. They weigh in at 90 pounds plus. Hard to control. The LS version that came later was half the weight. I solved it with a setup from QBot. All my LA is now done by computer.
Lots of people have had issues with TL. Mine? I bought used and have a great dealer nearby who I have taken the machine back to once in 8 years. Guess I can't complain.
There are better setups than the TL18 but not for the money.
tim in san jose