BobbieJones

The most valuble thing I did while looking for a longarm was to ask my guru of a sewing machine service guy " If you were buying a longarm for yourself, what brand would it be?" Now this guy isn't just a neighborhood repair guy. He services commercial quilting machines, sergers, sewing machines etc. all over the region, in addition to domestic machines. Anyway, his response was, in priority order: 1. APQS, 2. Innova. I asked why he put APQS above Innova and he said. "Service. APQS has all of the service points within handy access. They make it easy. And besides, APQS never breaks down." He went on to say that Innova is a really good machine, also, but that they had not yet figured out how to make service easy. I especially liked his "APQS never breaks down" comment. Although I respect Handi Quilter and A1, also on my original list of candidates, they did not appear on my service guy's list anywhere. Of course, as equally important as brand, is customer service. My experience with APQS has been delightful. They have stayed with me on the phone for as long as I needed, texting pictures, and taking all the time I needed to be sure I understood what they were talking about. All of my issues have been user-misunderstandings, or "how do I square my leaders" and stuff like that. Nothing to do with the machine itself. Oh, and my dealer is always available to me via phone for help or ideas. You are buying your dealer as well as the brand of longarm. You want a good one.
 
Good luck with your search. I know you will select the brand and model that is just right for you.