Latrinka

I think I'll just stick to my domestic machine, send it out if it's a very special quilt. Maybe if I win the lottery, I might would get one!

sherryl1

Look at Gammills.My dealer is Accomplish Quilting in Stevensvill Im..I can almost always get a good answer from them.But on the rare occasion they can't help I call Gammill direct.They return my call within 24 hours and are very,very good at answering any question I have.They W A N T you to be satisfied with their product.
Don't always shop price only.You get what you pay for.If you buy a Yugo,ya get a Yugo.It goes down the road but at what cost.Same with long arms.I have a friend who has an APQS.She has no customer support,has to take it to Missourie to be serviced,constant problems.No one to call.They delivered it by bringing it to the edge of her drive and dropping it there.I could go on and on.Any way,take time to try all of them.If it buggs ya at a show,It will drive you crazy at home.Long arming is too rewarding to be turned off by an inferior machine.

bunbear64

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Nolting! I've only had it since May 5th, however, it's a dream come true for me. And guess what? I bought a 10 year old machine! I have had very little trouble with it, and the one very minor issue I had was IMMEDIATELY solved over the phone, after business hours, by one of the people in their Iowa facility. (yes, Nolting's machines are made in the USA!)

The Nolting reps delivered my used machine to my house, set it up, and provided me training. They spent the day with me doing all this, plus I have a day-long class scheduled next month, FREE, with them at their facility.

This is my FIRST longarm machine. Yes, there is a learning curve and I'm on it. I'm keeping a blog about any issues I have (most of which are tension related) so that I can look back and see my progress. Already, just a couple months in, I feel that I have gotten better at it.

I work a full time day job, just in case you think I have all day to play on my machine. When I get on the machine, I tell myself this is my learning period and not to be so hard or critical on myself about my work.

I kind of got off track. What I wanted to express was that there ARE good manufacturers and dealers. I found a real gem in Nolting and I can't say enough good about them. The people are fantastic to deal with, from the reps to the factory and even the receptionist in Iowa. They stand behind their machines. I hope anyone who has any doubts gives them a fair shake, because the experience I have had with them is just out of this world fantastic.

BizyStitches

I bought a longarm Tin Lizzie 18, but I'm having all kinds of problems. I don't know if I have it set up wrong or what! My thread keeps breaking and now I can't turn the knob on the upper tention. Also if anyone know someone in central Kansas that will teach me how to use my longarm could you please let me know. I bought it in April and have only quilted a table topper that was 36" x 36". I have a quilt on it now but I've had to stop several times and i'm on the 4th row of edge to edge quilting. Maybe someone know a good on line video to help? I've done a search and watch as many as I can on youtube. Thanks in advance.

wolph33

I agree-Innova has the best customer service of any of them.I do not need them often-but when I do they are wonderful.They will return calls weekends even on holidays and walk you through the tweaking.Ask me how I know.

Jratcliff

About 3 years ago I got a Baileys LA quilter and absolutely love it. True there is a huge learning curve & I seem to learn something new every time I use it, but that's not the fault of the machine. Every time I've had a question, the company owner actually answers the phone & gives me more than enough help.
It is a simple machine without all the bells & whistles, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. I am sorry your friends have had such poor experiences with their machines, but it does seem that people only talk about problems and not their good experiences.

Maralyn

I'm another satisfied APQS owner and feel that their service department bends over backwards to assist me with any concerns I have. I also agree with an earlier comment about the difficult learning curve. After twelve years of serving customers, I am finally getting it.

barrelracer86

I too bought a used Nolting and absolutely love it. They brought it to my house one evening around 8 pm on the way to the Denver Quilt show, set it up and stayed until nearly midnight working with me. After about 5 weeks and 16 hours of quilting, the motor went out on it. We niagnosedthe problem over the phone, again after hours, They sent me a box, paid my shipping both ways, and replaced the motor under the 1 year warranty I was given with the machine. I have to say they have excellent customer service and I am very happy with them. My closest dealer would be almost 3 hours away.

BizyStitches, you need to call the manufacturer. I am thinking you probably need a new tension spring or a new assembly which are very easy to replace. I had that happen on my 1st machine. It didn't matter what I did, the thread was breaking and the tension spring started sticking in the bottom position and I couldn't turn the knob at all. We took it apart and cleaned the assembly, put in a new spring and it worked like a charm.

chuckbere15

I use my mom's Bailey and haven't had much problems. However, on one quilt we were having thread breaking issues. We cleaned and oiled the machine and then changed the needle. We were using metallic thread and had the wrong needle in and once we changed the needle very little breakage, we also slowed down.

Farm Quilter

Well, this is not my experience with my Innova. I rarely have glitches and the few times I've had a problem, it's always been something dumb I did. It is true that longarms are more difficult to balance stitches on compared to a sewing machine, but I'm constantly changing the thickness of thread I'm using and I just know that I have to "play" with the tension to get it perfect, not a glitch, just part of the process; not difficult, just part of the learning curve. The Innova is made by ABM International in Texas and I have the cell phone number of Michael (the "M" in ABM) and he is available 24/7/365 (free!!) to help me out with any problem I might have - like the first time I needed to time my machine after having it for over a year. I know of one lady who was having a problem with her machine and Michael couldn't solve it over the phone...he was driving while on vacation with his wife...figured out he was an hour away from her, detoured to go to her house to figure out the problem. Another Innova owner was having a problem and two guys from the company were in the same state doing an install, they drove over to her house to help her out. No charge, just all part of the customer service provided by ABM. Since it is a family owned and run business, they really care about their product and their customers.