Advice about long arm quilting machines

[ilovetosew]

Hi Ladies! I am researching long arm stitch regulated quilting machines and have tried a few - APQS Millenium, HQSixteen and a Gammill. Besides price, what are the major differences? What do you use and love? What doesn't work for you? Thanks for your advice. Janie

[Littlebit]

I don't have one - But the one that I believe is right for me and the one I want is the HQ16 - I have played on a big gammill all day and it is just too big of a machine for me, but I'm vertically challenged so that could have been the problem

[1quiltinnana]

My friend loves her HQ16 Long Arm. It does beautiful stitching.

[cindyg]

I drove several mid-arms at the Houston quilt show - I would love to have the HQ16. It was the smoothest, most quiet, less vibration, and quilted beautifully. The larger machines like the Gammill are too large for my space. If I ever find space for a long arm I would get an A-1.

[SFOQuilter]

As I've stated many times here I love my HQ 16. I wanted the portability and since I wasn't going to start a business, this is a hobby, it was the best solution for me. It works like a dream plus it looks nice. LOL

[gardenquilter]

i have a notlting and love it

[Cathy32078]

We have an A-1. It is great. If it had been just me, I would have chosen the HQ16, but.....DH wanted the A-1. Who was I to argue? LOL Silly man! I do love the 12 ft table that has the light box built in. And the hydraulic lift and advance. That is nice. IMHO it looks a bit plainer than the others but that is okay too. We do have the stitch regulator also. It def. isn't portable. WHere it went in and was installed, it will def. stay. LOL

Hugs
Cathy

[SewManyStitches]

I looked at a lot of them too. Your choices depend a lot on what you eventually want to do and how much you watn to spend. Also computerized or not - again???? Make sure machine has directional locking ablility - channel locks? I also am very glad I spent the extra money and added hydralic lift ability. I went with a Nolting and absolutely love it. The most important aspect to me was local as training and customer service. Since I was a beginner 2 years ago. I visited a lot of dealers and also quilt shops and talked to them about their machine and service. The Nolting factory service people are wonderful as well when my local dealer is not available.

[petlover]

We have a Gammill Classic Plus that my hubby quilts on. I just got a Hobby Quilter today. I put it on a Hinty stretch frame. It's just the right size for me!
We do longarm quilting as a business and I think these 2 machines will be all we'll ever need. (if you need some quilting done, let us know) Oh! We also got an embroidery machine last Friday.
Linda

[norwich]

I have a Gammill Classic Plus and have had my longarm business now for four years. I like my Gammill, but it is also the heaviest of the machines. I am prone to pull muscles in my neck and shoulders, and even though my machine moves smoothly, it can still be hard on my body. The A-1 machines are the lightest. I've never tried APQS, but hear they are good machines too. The table on my longarm is 14-feet long, so make sure you have the room!