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Sue E.

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Posts posted by Sue E.

  1. I have had both - currently have an IQ on an older Millie (2008). I don't have any knowledge about the updated QuiltPath but I found the one I had very difficult to use for custom quilting. I also found it quite slow to do anything. One example would be that even when I set it for the fastest sewing speed, it was extremely slow.  Also, we were told to set the design up and send it to the system to sew. It would take forever to be ready to sew. We were told to go get a cup of coffee while we waited. This was unacceptable. I am hoping the system is more powerful now and can process faster. There is absolutely no wait time with the IQ. Also, I found the QP extremely difficult for me because the way you did things was not the way I think. IQ thinks like I do. Test both systems thoroughly - centering a quilting pattern inside a hexagon, a circle, a block, etc. Don't take it for granted that everything will be centered properly! How easy is it to split a design to fit your quilting area or change the design slightly? How easy is it to tweak your design to follow an area that might not be 100% perfect? It is quite easy with the IQ, it wasn't on the QuiltPath I had. Good luck with whatever your choice is but I do recommend quite strongly that you test both systems in operation to be sure you get what will work best for you. My mistake with purchasing the QP when it first came out was a very costly mistake for me.

  2. 18 hours ago, L gipson said:

    Sue,

    Thank you for your feedback. I am currently trying to find a preowned IQ!

    Good luck! It is my understanding that pre-owned IQs are few and far between. People don't easily give them up and when they sell their longarm, the IQ usually goes with it. I recommend getting in touch with Zoltan Kasa at IQ. He might be able to help you.

     

  3. I have a 2008 Millie with IntelliQuilter. I love it. The 2 work very nicely together. Originally I had a CompuQuilter and love those together but when the company started having problems I switched to a QuiltPath (pretty soon after it came out) and I hated that system. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. I went with IntelliQuilter and have had it now for about 7 or so years. It can handle anything I throw at it from simple edge-to-edge, pantos, to custom. IQ has a great program that is being upgraded all the time and customer service is the best. Check it out.

  4. I am not sure. I do know that before I purchased my IQ (I started with the CQ in 2005) people who were trying to update/upgrade their CPUs and still have CQ run were having many problems. Many of the CQ drivers etc. are too old to be handled by the newer/faster computers. I would highly recommend contacting Zoltan Kasa at IntelliQuilter as he is now the person supporting CQs. He has helped many of us.

  5. @Jane KamanWhen the needle has done this to me, I have found the easiest and best way to stop it is to just turn the entire head off (I have a Milliie). I had something like this happen to me last week when I hadn't moved my head with my IQ to the proper place and then told it to stitch. I tried to stop it before it took too many stitches but in my panic, I hit the stop/pause button too many times and the IQ didn't know what to do. Luckily I was off to the side and the only fabric that got damaged was the extra backing material and not the quilt. I reached up and turned my Millie off. The IQ was left on so I didn't lose my design or any settings.

  6. 6 hours ago, jimerickson said:

    Bee:  This post is 15 years old, so I doubt you'll get an answer form the poster.  Try personal message to her.  She might still be involved.  Jim

    @jimerickson, Jim, I did see this the other day and have been in touch with Bee. I couldn't believe she was able to pull up such old posts and I actually got online and saw it. You just never know!

  7. I don't know of any "not so expensive auto quilting system" but I have an IntelliQuilter and I love it. I originally had a CompuQuilter for over 10 years and loved it. I then purchased a QuiltPath and I found it difficult to use and it couldn't do many of the things I wanted it to do. I never liked it and found it not suitable for me. I then purchased the IQ and wouldn't consider any other brand. They have the panto only version and the Classic version. I have the Classic and love all the features including no-sew zones, echoing, line path, and lots and lots more. Check them out.

  8. Are you talking about using the Intelliquilter computer? If so, it sounds like when you set up your layout, you didn't tell it to stop and tie off at the end of the row so you can realign, etc.. This sounds like it is set to continuous which will automatically sew a straight line to the start of the next row. When you go to the sew screen and you select your rows to quilt, you should get a screen asking how you want the transition to be set.

  9. Trudie, I'm not sure why you need a magnetic release system. When I had my CompuQuilter, there was a button on the screen you could set to bring the carriage to you to change the bobbin. When you were finished changing the bobbin, you would hit it again and it would return the carriage to the location where it was when you stopped it. I haven't had my CQ for quite a few years now, but I didn't have to release the cable for each new row/bobbin change. Maybe someone who has used the CQ more recently can chime in here.

  10. 5 hours ago, barbm said:

    Further, while the warranty for QP does not transfer to a new owner, the right to FREE software upgrades DOES transfer. I don't know who told Sue that she would have to pay a "hefty fee" for a software upgrade, it's just not true.

    And ongoing support for QP, no matter whether under warranty, continues the same. Yes, you have to be a QP owner to be a member of our QP Facebook Group, for the very reason that Sue mentioned - all she saw was problems. What she didn't explain (or perhaps didn't understand) is that, while a lot of "issues" pop up on that Facebook group, it's because it is our go-to platform for helping our owners, usually within minutes of them posting a problem. The overwhelming majority of our owners are happily quilting away and NOT posting on the FB group.

    All that being said, I strongly encourage you to try out both QP and IQ, compare costs and features, and make an educated decision. If you have any questions that I can help with, don't hesitate to email me at info@apqsnw.com.

    Barb, I was talking directly to Dawn Cavanaugh who was talking with the Grace Company to get the answers for me. Yes, she mentioned that the hardware would be supported but that was basically it. When I had the QP, there were many hardware problems that were not getting fixed. Also, when the people in the group, tell you to send your design to the "sew page" and then go get a cup of coffee while the system works, I found this system to be far from useful. As I mentioned, I was one of the early owners and I would hope things have been fixed by now. I was also very discouraged when it was suggested that I would need to take a very expensive course - travel across the country, pay for a hotel, food, plus the course - to be fully able to learn and use the QP. I was up and being productive with my IQ in a matter of hours!

    I also suggested to Michelle that she compare the two systems and do more research. I love my APQS Millie, but didn't like the Quilt Path.

  11. This is only my experience and opinion. Please do your own research.

    I had one of the older Quilt Paths with the older Surface Pro tablets installed on my Millie. I bought the QP from a dealer who used it as a demo. (I originally owned a CompuQuilter for about 9-10 years and was happy with it until the company went out of business).  I found the QP was extremely slow and crashed constantly. If any dust or lint got onto the drive belts, the system wouldn't track accurately and I would spend more time trying to realign and ripping out stitches. Even though I was told by the dealer I wouldn't have any trouble updating to the new version and everything was transferrable to me and then a newer owner, when I actually tried to sell the QP I was told (by APQS and the Grace Co.) I would not be able to update to the newer version and neither would the new owner without paying a hefty fee. The warranty of the QP operating system/program was not transferrable. Another problem I had was the system needed to have the firmware updated constantly. It was a real hassle for me. Also, in order to find out more about using the QP and what problems people are having, you have to already own a QP to become a member of their Facebook group. I always wondered about that. Once I had my QP and was able to join the group. I found out the reason why. If I had learned about all the problems, I would never have purchased the QP - I really wasn't able to do all the research I should have done before purchasing my system. Don't always listen to what a dealer says - find out what real users are saying. About 4 years ago I finally was able to get rid of the QP and I purchased an IQ. I have no regrets and have been very happy ever since. I made a very expensive mistake in purchasing the QP. 

    I am not familiar with the newer Surface Pro tablets and if the newer QP program was ever released, but I can highly recommend the IQ. Their support is amazing and updates are FREE. I also know that when I had the QP  it was a real hassle to install designs because very few digitizers saved in the format that was required for the QP. Almost all digitizers save their files in the iqp format.

    The IQ can do more than the QP can do and does it easier and faster. Their Facebook support group is fantastic and anyone can join (check out Friends Using IQ). You don't have to own an IQ to join. Also, support from IntelliQuilter is wonderful.

    If I were you and was interested in the APQS machine, I would see if I could purchase the machine and not the QP. I would highly recommend you seriously look into the IQ. If you are being told that what you saw the system do was "pretty normal", you'll never be happy with it when you purchase it. 

     

     

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