mamajack3

I have been looking at getting a sweet sixteen or a simply sixteen. Any feed back on either of them? Thanks in advance.

quiltsRfun

Love my Sweet Sixteen. No experience with Simply Sixteen. I think it all comes down to whether you ant to quikt sitting or standing. Do you have a shop where you can try both?

ckcowl

Handiquilter is a great company to work with, good customer and technical services.very friendly, knowledgeable, patient support staff.
Ive had HQ machines for 15 years, started with the sweet 16, now have the Avante.
my dealer provided free " new owners" classes, free cleaning & service for a year and is great answering questions and trouble shooting when needed. I've worked with the tech/ customer support at the Utah home of handiquilter also. Always happy with the help I've received.
Try out/ test drive machines before purchasing. To me buying a longarm is like buying a car. Everyone has their likes. We are all different. Check to see what classes are available, what features are offered,what supplies are available

Hayquilting

Both are great machines! If you are quilting larger projects, the Simply will be far easier to use. The Simply also has a built in stitch regulator and can be low enough for you to sit and stitch.

The Sweet has an add on stitch regulator but it has to be positioned under the fabric that is moving so it can read the movement and adjust the stitching accordingly. The Simply table can easily be taken down if you need to store it for extra room.

luvspaper

I love my Sweetie, but also love quilting sitting down and moving the fabric versus the machine... more tactile to me I guess. I was already FMQing on my domestic so there was literally no learning curve. (I know nothing about the Simply though)

liking quilting

I've been using the Sweet 16 since Jan. and love it. I don't have any experience with the Simply 16. Lots of help out there to get started. Learning curve wasn't bad, although learning the tension took me a little bit. I, too, started by fmq on my domestic so was in the habit of moving my fabric under the needle which helped. I have a table with hydraulic lift so it can be lowered down and closed up while not being used. My big incentive was that I didn't want to give up any room for a longarm machine. No regrets! Good luck with whichever one you decide on.

AliKat

I had the HQ Sweet 16 and loved it. At first it was a shorter length, but later I put on the additional length to, I think 10 ft.
I now have the HQ Avante and love it.
So, go for what you have room for knowing you don't have to have the Sweet 16 to full length.
I do have arthritis in my hands so the sit down model wouldn't have worked for me anyway.

jmoore

I've heard good things about HandiQuilters and it's one of the brands I am considering when I go to make a longarm purchase.

eastslopequilter

I have a Sweet Sixteen and love it. Tried a Simply, but have a hard time transitioning. Handiquilter has great videos, so sign up for them. Really learned a lot.

EmiliasNana

I have a Babylock Tiara, same as HQ 16, and love it. I use the stitch regulator all the time, though it did get some getting used to, but it was part of the package so I made myself use it. I have the extended table and use a self made suspension system and it works great......taking all the strain off my neck and shoulders when moving a larger quilt. I use HQ videos all the time for help when needed. Test, test, test for yourself. I got the Tiara because I got a great deal, loved the vertical set up and it was within my price range.