Teesside

Hi,
I am thinking of making the leap to purchase a used Handiquilter Longarm with a frame. I have recently found a used one that is about 50% of the current retail price of the current model. The machine has been used as "demo: machine at a dealer, but it has 78 million stitches, so I suspect it was used to quilt customer quilts in addition to "demo". It has been maintained by the dealer and will include a full day of lessons and complete service prior to pick up. Yes, we will be picking up from the dealer who will walk us through the disassembly and then assembling it ourselves at home.

Am I looking at a great deal or should I pass on the machine due to the high stitch count? This will be for my personal use and maybe do a few friends quilts, so less than 12 a year.

Any other questions I should be asking the dealer?

If you think I should pass, where is the best place and time of year to look for used Handiquilters?

Thank you for your advice!

mkc

Handi Quilter recommends dealer cleaning/lube/service every 2 years or 10 million stitches, whichever comes first. You could probably use that as a guideline that 78 million stitches represents nearly 8 dealer servicings or close to 16 years of "average" use.

That said, I'll have to look at my Amara later today, which is not quite 3 years old, and give you an idea of stitch count.. I've done 6-8 large throw to 96 x 96 bed quilts on it and I think I have around 2 million stitches on it.

If this isn't MK Quilts in Florida, check with them on demo machines. They regularly cycle through machines and their demos should have fairly low stitch counts and come with the full 5 year warranty.

Also, which model Handi Quilter are you looking at?

1CharmShort

Teesside, I'm curious. I have many questions. Are you wishing specifically for a Handi Quilter? Which machine and table (size wise) would you prefer?
What accessories come with this one you're looking at now? Are the sellers offering 'help' as well as classes? Ideally, do you want the computer option? (can an updated version be added later?)

Do you live near Connecticut?
Longarm University is a great place to start a shopping search for a used longarm.
Right now, I see an Avante listed for sale in connecticut...you can compare prices, stitch counts, etc. to the one you are considering.

https://longarmuniversity.com/MachinesForSale.html

This web site will give you an idea of what is available out there all across the US, asking prices of different brands, different configurations, stitch counts, different ages, etc. That all makes it a good starting point in my eyes.