aborning

I agree, you want to try different machines to see how they "feel". I had a Tin Lizzie and was going to upgrade to a longer throat--but did not want to buy another Tin Lizzie because I did not like the table. It was 3 sections and I could never get the one lined up decent and I would always get a 'bump' in my quilting when I went over that section. It frustrated me. So when I was looking for a different long arm, I was not only looking at the long arm, but also at the table because I wanted one with the table being just one long piece. I bought a APQS Freedom last November and I have not regretted it for one minute. Another thing you want to look for is if you want electric fabric advance on your table. This may be on your "wsh list" if you quilt for customers as it will make your life so much easier. That is also something I was looking for when I was looking at the tables. I quilt for customers and I do alot of custom quilts so am rolling the quilt back and forth alot. So I wanted the electric fabric advance. And I absolutely love it. So do research all the machien brands as it is not only the machine you are looking at, but the table and all the options available with that. Of course, if I would've bought a machine to use only for quilting my own quilts, then I wouldn't have spent the money I did to get extra bells and whistles. So it is all up to each individual as to what they want when looking for a machine, and of course, the bells and whistles add up to more $. Good luck in your decision.

lfletcher

I have a Gammill and love it. My friend has a Nolting and loves it. It is a personal preference and depends somewhat on what features you want. I purchased my Gammill last June and it is the smallest one (18/8 with a 10' table). I bought it for under $10,000.00 and have been extremely pleased. I have not as yet needed a larger size. I do quilt for others.