MamaHen

I recently bought the new Handi Quilter Avante. I have had it 3 weeks. It has 15" of quilting space, enough for me, if it was much bigger, I would have trouble reaching across to start and pull bobbing thread up. Let alone trying to reach over to load backing. "Talk about smooth!!!!"
I got the Studio Frame with mine, and love everthing about it. I never tried out any other machine, fell in love with Handi Quilter 10 years ago, and knew that when the time came, that is what I would buy. The only maintance is a drop of oil in bobbin housing every other bobbin change, and to keep lint out of the area. I have just finished my second qult, a 100 x 116" oversize king, and I can say that everything went smooth and it looks great. My machine was set up by my rep and then I was given over 4 hours of training on it before she left for the day. The price was right compared with other long or mid arm machines. I knew if I went for a less expensive machine and table, I would never be happy.

BabsO

I was thinking about buying a HQ16,. . . when I went down to the store the lady told me that I could get the same thing only instead of 16" throat the Jewel - Baby Lock has 18" throat for $1,000 less. So I am just about ready to buy the Jewel. I tried it out and it was
GREAT!!!!!!

mar32428

Do you ever have a sewing expo in your area? We have one in Tampa that our ASG attends every year and there are at least five different quilting units from Gammil to very inexpensive. There are usually six or seven machine dealers there and they are most willing to talk to you.

butterflywing

absolutely. and they all want YOUR money. go around 2x. i know i keep saying this, but this is the best advice:

.try EVERY machine, even if you can't afford it
.wait in line if you have to.
.examine all the features
.what must you have? what would you like? what doesn't matter?
.what manufactures sell reconditioned?
.who takes it back later for an upgrade?
.how noisy is it? does it matter to you?
.how hard is it to raise and lower?
.how large is the work area? can you reach all of it?
.do you want a computerized one or a mechanical one?
.do you want to be able to computerize it later?
.does it have a stitch regulator? do you want one?
.what kind of tech support do they give? for how long?
.are there lessons?
.is there a guarantee?
.is there a dealer near you?
.if you buy at the show, what will they do for you? bargain for what you want.
(they frequently knock something off the price, don't charge shipping, eat the
tax, give you extra bobbins or needles, or all of these. obviously you want all
of these)
.tell them outright what other ones you are interested in. they'll tell you why
theirs is different and/or better.
.is the manual easy to understand? maybe there's a dvd also.
.whatever size they call it, deduct the width of the trolly. i.e. for a 120" frame
you can really quilt on about 110", because the needle itself has to fit
between the frame and the quilt edge. i didn't explain that right, but you get
it.
at any rate, you can load the quilt sideways.
.how hard is it to load? can you reach the cloth leaders?
.most machines have a panto shelf. is it deep enough for you?
.does it come with a laser light for pantos? a pointer for pantos?
.will it accept wooden panto templates?

there are lots of little thing to keep in the back of your mind. when you go, take a list with you, as you go, you'll start lopping things off or adding on.

in the end you'll have the right machine for you and a great time with it.
good luck
:lol: :thumbup:

charhend

I have the HQ16 with the built in stitch regulater and love everything about it. It's very user friendly and easy to use.

Candace

Butterfly, I think I'll print off your "tick-list". I think you've nailed all the questions swirling around in my head. Thanks.

Candace

I was doing more research today and saw Nolting has only one Rep. in CA. Huh? That doesn't make a lot of sense since CA is a huge state.

KarenA

FYI - an ergonomic lift if invaluable - the table can be raised or lowered even just a fraction if that's all you need. You can sit down or stand up and after quilting for hours if you adjust the table just slightly it takes the stress out just that much. I consider it an invaluable thing to consider.

Also, when I was considering what to purchase I not only looked at the big shows but when I really wanted to see what a certain brand was all about I actually drove to the local rep's house, she explained everything to me, let me play and I was there the entire day! Now if that's the kind of service you get when you have an issue then it's well worth the price.

vickig626

My LQS sells the Tin Lizzie 18 and (I think the new one is 24). It's adjustable table width is great and so is the price. Her price is around $6000. BabyLock makes a similar type. Not sure of the price. I'm hoping I can buy one of these within the next year or so. If anyone knows anything negative about these machines, I'd appreciate input.

MamaHen

The Baby Lock Jewel is made by Handi Quilter, has the HQ 16 internal, computer stitch regulator. The HQ 16 machine is going to be discontinued. The Avante has the internal workings of the HQ Fusion., which is their 24" stitch regulated machine. All this from the Handi Quilter Rep who installed and set up my Avante.
My table the Studio Frame is set up at 12'. Plenty of room to quilt very large quilt. Rollers are easy to load, velco leaders, snap in & out with ease. Believe that one can still get good deals if one calls a Handi Quilter Rep. They seem to have unadvertised specials. Set up like mine is $9995. not including tax & shipping. Deals can be had at major shows.