I have been renting for more than 4 years...I pay $20/hr plus a thread price which is calculated by the number of bobbins I use. Just like ckcowl said...I had a training lesson in the beginning. In the years I’ve been renting, I have changed shops/machines. I started out on an APQS Lenni and then the LQS closed so I drive even further (almost an hour) to another quilt shop and rent a Handi Quillter Avante. Someday I would love to have a longarm of my own.