Long arm machines

My informed opinion is that you MUST test drive one.

It's like cars. My friend has a convertible sports car -- he thinks it's the best car on the planet. I've owned similar cars in the past, and while I loved them at the time, it's completely the wrong car for me.

Most of the bigger companies make good machines that will do the job and last a long time. Some of the machines drive like sports cars and some drive like trucks. And until you spend several hours on one, you'll have no idea if that machine matches your style. If you get a machine that doesn't fit your style, you'll be miserable (and broke! *grin*). (And would you buy a car without a test drive???)

Go online, and look for dealers. Also look for major quilt shows -- many have machines at the show available for testing. Also look for longarm teachers; there are several dozen throughout the country (and overseas), and just about all of them have classes that would be appropriate for people who are thinking about buying. I know it's a mild pain (BTDT), but it's really, really, really not optional.

mailto: snipped-for-privacy@KayneyNOSPAMQuilting.comhttp://fabrictramp.typepad.com/fabric_tramping/> remove the obvious to reply At the stated prices of the various mfgrs I definately would not buy one without driving one. I was just interested in opinions from people who may have already had some time on one. Based on the opinions stated, then I could look into test driving that model. I would hate to take the effort to find and try one that I might not like if that could have been prevented in the first place by hearing about it's failings from somebody who tried and didn't like that one. I know opinons are subjective but they are informative to some degree. I think that the scarcity of longarm machines inhibits their widespread usage to say nothing of their prices. Still, It would be nice, for me, to hear from people who have had access to them.

John

How about advice on the various options that are available on the longarm machines- like the stitch length regulator and the mechanized rollers, etc.?

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

mailto: snipped-for-privacy@KayneyNOSPAMQuilting.comhttp://fabrictramp.typepad.com/fabric_tramping/>> remove the obvious to reply>

I spent three days at the Road 2 CA show last January and drove the 3 major brands that were represented - APQS, Nolting and Gammill. I had a mid arm machine at the time and had it for about 4 years. It was time for a major upgrade! I spent alot of time talking to the vendors, practicing on the machines and breaking down the components......... I also had a friend with me that asked questions that maybe I hadn't thought to ask (she is not a long arm quilter) and also drove the machines to compare the feel of them. I made my decision on the last day. One month later, I had the machine sitting in my house! If you want to know what I got and the major reasons why, email me privately.

I agree with what Kathy said. Each brand is very different from the other in feel. It all depends on what "feel" you work with the best.

Hers a web site you might want to visit.

Quilting with Machines (QwM) October 18-20, 2007 Columbiana, OH

There is also a quilt show in Nashville next month. A lot of vendors will be there with their respective machine quilting systems. Keep in mind that the National Quilters Association is in Columbus. They have an annual quilt show with all the vendors also.

Gammil, APQS and a few other dealers might have used systems available. Altough they will cost in the thousands. These are the high end machine quilting frames.

Yahoo has a few news groups about machine quilting frames. There is HInterberg, of course, Home quilting Systems and Mindy Casperson has one. She is moving to Pennsylvania from Maryland and setting up her shop. She is a great teacher and conducts classes or will in her new shop when it is finished.

Don't you have the Mega Quilter or something similar. There are groups on Yahoo for the Brother 1500S, Mega Quilter, Juki and darn if I can think of the others right now. But these groups also talk about machine quilting on or off the frames.

As for the home quilting systems there are: Hinterberg, Grace Company, Periwinkle, B-Line, Inspira, New Generation, John Watts just to name a few.

Of course there are the table models of home quilting systems, but I've always thought they were to flimzy so didn't even consider them when I went in search of my system.

The majority of these systems can be set up at 10 feet. Keep in mind the width and depth of the frame and consider just where you will want to set it up.

Have fun researching.

Kate

Oh and here is one more, a Hinterberg dealer in Ohio

Stitch, Piece 'n Purl

Kate T.

Thanks for the link. The show in Columbiana in Oct. looks like just what I was looking for. They say there will be numerous vendors there so that one can test drive the different machines and talk to the vendors personally. I will plan on being there.

John

John, you just really do need to test drive each brand, but also research each feature and what is important to you. Each machine does drive differently. And also what type of quilting do you want to do? Hand guided? Computer Driven? Pantographs? Freehand?? All that will factor in to your options as well. They are not an inexpensive thing to buy and the market is becoming really saturated with them so a lot of people who purchased intending to go into business are finding that harder and harder to do successfully. Also, really look into your dealer. Because you are going to want dealer support after you bring that machine home. Other things to consider are throat space. The larger the throat space, the less you are limited in design options, you have to turn it less etc but also that means it is heavier. And something most don't think talk about, it is on wheels & tracks, but even with that, pushing, controlling & stopping 35-100 lbs depending on your manufacturer and model, can take a toll on the operator. Also, if you want to be able to do ruler work, does that machine have the ability to have an extended base and do that? Just a few things that come to mind. But also, the machine is just the tip of the iceberg in expense would be the only other thing I would offer up. HTH

Jan RCTQ Coffee Diva

John, the first thing I would ask is what do you consider a "Long arm machine"? In my mind there are the "big name", "real" long arms like Gammill, Nolting, APQS, and so forth. There are the "mid arm" machines which are longer throated and sit on a frame, but can also be used off the frame for "regular" sewing. And then there is at least one that is sort of in between, probably more. The one I am considering is the Tin Lizzie 18. There is more advertising appearing for the Lizzie and I have tried them at shows. This is a viable alternative for someone who wants at least some of the benefits of a "true" long arm machine, but may not want to quilt professionally. The Lizzie comes with stitch regulator, can be operated from either front or back so you can use pantos, or do free motion, etc. There is an extended bed that is available, and all sorts of things. The "designer" of the Lizzie developed it with the help of quilters and it was tested by quilters before showing up on the market a few years ago. Support is supposed to be awesome, from what I have heard. There is a Yahoo group for the Tin Lizzie too. Lots of info and so on. The system ships without the poles, which you have to buy separately. But they are available at Home Depot/Lowe's and so forth. You can set it up with whatever length poles you want, I think 10 feet is the longest length. I had looked at things like the HandiQuilter frame, and several of the others, and the Lizzie is, in my opinion, much better. I was worried about the wooden frame and asked. (Arizona is dry, wood tends to dry out, crack, etc. I was told that the wood used will hold up and not have problems. There are several of the Lizzies in use here in the Valley and I haven't heard of any problems with them.) Because it has an 18" throat, the Lizzie is a Long Arm machine. But, for the features it has, it is priced significantly lower---about $6,000 I think, which includes the bobbin winder, stitch regulator (don't think it is available without the stitch regulator), frame, machine, needles, bobbins, I think a couple of pantos and a few other things.

You might consider looking into it as an option.

Pati, in Phx

I met a gal a few years back at a retreat that was waiting for her new long arm to be delivered. Before she purchased it she did as many here suggested and test drove many different companies (she when to the IMQA show in KS). Another thing she did is searched for newsgroups/chat rooms for people with long arms. She asked questions like what features of your machine do you love/hate, things they now wished they had, things they thought they needed and didn't, things to consider before purchasing any brand/model that she might not think of, etc. Might also be a good way to find out who has really good customer service and those with service that is lacking. I'm sure there are several groups out there.

HTH

There is a frame you can buy and make any sewing machine a long arm. I saw it in a magazine called Connecting Threads I believe. It was almost 700 dollars. Check that out before investing in a long arm machine.

Sondra

Putting a regular sewing machine on a frame would make it a short arm, not a longarm.