shesews

Hopefully, some of you have gone to big quilt shows, or live near multiple Dealers and have had the opportunity to test run several brands of machines; I'm looking for opinions as to which of the machines are of reasonable quality and is the best bang for your buck. I will tell you this, I already know that I cannot afford a Gammil. Thanks for your help.

Tiggersmom

Have you checked Craigslist in your area for used?

shesews

No, b/c I need to learn more about "which" one I should buy.

Pkelly

I love my Bernina Q20! Bought the Tiera 2 at a show for a really good price..... Got it home, my husband told me to sell it and get the Bernina....... The stitch regulator is built in, not cumbersome like the Tiara. Can use all my Bernina feet, same needles as my domestic machine. Sews beautifully! Worth the extra $$!

cathyre

I have to agree with Pkelly , love love love my Bernina Q20 so worth every penny I paid for it .

QuiltingVagabond

I have the Handiquilter Sweet 16 and chose it because there is a dealer nearby. I found that I do fine without the stitch regulator even though I bought it, I don't use it. I did splurge on the Hideaway table - I have yet to "hide" my machine but I LOVE the table space it offers.

FabQuilter

Here is one of many online reviews
http://www.thecaffeinatedquilter.com/?p=1925

luvspaper

I love my HQ16 also. No stitch regulator, but I was already FMQ'ing on my domestic so there was no real learning curve at all!

Doggramma

I love my Bernina Q20 too. It's not the cheapest though. I never tried any other machines because I thought the tables didn't look as big and sturdy as the Koala one that comes with the Q20.

mkc

I am also shopping for a sit down, and recommend that you try them all yourself. I thought I knew what was the "best" for me, but having tried several brands, I've actually ruled out some of the most popular because I didn't enjoy quilting with them. Either the sound of the machine or the vibration or some other aspect caused me to tense up rather than relax.

I was quite surprised by this and it send me back to the drawing board. I have 2 machines left to try, the Innova and the Gammill Charm, but I was quite surprised to find that the machine I had ruled out initially -because of other people's comments- the Janome/Tin Lizzie Artistic 18 in the forward-facing orientation, was the most enjoyable machine for me by far. I tried it expecting not to like it, and it turned out that I didn't want to stop quilting to let the next show attendee have a go at it.

So try them all out for yourself. It's (hopefully) going to be a long relationship and you're going to want it to start with "THIS is the one for ME!"

Michelle