mscott2611 Posted March 11, 2011 Report Share Posted March 11, 2011 Can anyone explain the difference between these three? They each seem to make circles and be able to use stylus for pattern boards so what makes one better than the other or why would you need two or more of them? Thanks for any thoughts on this topic. Mary the confused newbie in KY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted March 11, 2011 Report Share Posted March 11, 2011 Mary, I'd suggest you do a search on this subject. There have been oodles of discussions of the differences. I don't really think you would need multiples. I'll speak for The topper (actually have one for sale) and The quiltazoid. The first one I got was the topper and it is wonderful for doing circles and tracing templates. I have an extended arm that was made for me so I can do longer boards using the front set-up. It is sturdy, accurate and well made and the cheapest option. I was a tester for the quiltazoid and had a lot of input on usability. My request was to be able to do 1/4" cross hatching that was good enough to be in a show quilt. I got that and a lot more. The quiltazoid has the main unit that will do circles of all kinds and ony your imagination will limit you on the designs you could do with it. It is super easy to use, works from the front or the back and is very well made. Easy to set-up too. If you opt for the spirograph then you get hundreds of designs for not a whole lot of money. I think the main difference from the quiltazoid and the CL spiral tool is that the quiltazoid uses gears that you put in and once set up you simply turn a handle and keep stitching. The CL is done in sections or steps. You would stitch part of the design, stop, rotate the base, stitch, etc. You do use the same process for the tracing templates on the Quiltazoid but the spirograph gos super quick because you just stitch. I just love everything about it. Good luck on your decision. Yo ucan go to quiltazoid.com and see videos for using the QZ. If you are interested in The Topper email me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankiequilter Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Heidi is right, there have been a number of discussions about the Circle Lord vs. Quiltazoid. Here's a link to the most recent discussion that I found, and it contains links to some previous discussions. http://apqs.com/quiltboard/viewthread.php?tid=25394&page=1#pid318367 I use my CL templates on 95% of my quilts. Everything is simple to set up and easy to use and a lot of the design templates have continuous designs which eliminates the need to start/stop. Michael gives top notch support to his products and goes out of his way to assure every owner/user is happy with his products. He has a no interest easy payment plan and will work with you to get set up and quilting with what you need, with a money back guarantee. I love my Circle Lord and all the templates. And I know that my signature shows "Circle Lord Consultant", but I'm not an employee, not paid, and just show that as information to help MIchael out, and people who might have questions about the CL have another "go to" person to get help using the CL. But help is seldom needed because the products are so easy to use! Good luck with your decision, I know it can be a hard one, and I believe if you choose the Circle Lord you will be most pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgene Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Mary, to add to your confusion, there is also the Hartley Fence that does circles and other BLOCK designs. And everyone has nicely explained the tools above, but I'd like to add something. The Circle Lord (basic unit), the Hartley Fence, the Quiltazoid, and the Topper -- all good products -- help you with designs that are mostly for individual blocks, usually meaning custom quilts. I have the Circle Lord basic unit and almost all the individual templates. But, more importantly, I have many of the long boards. That's what I use the most. They cover the entire quilt with a consistent design and are much easier and faster and more accurate than Pantographs. That's what customers seem to like as well. I use the Circle Lord long boards on about 85 to 90% of the tops I quilt. Customers request them. They are fast, easy, and accurate. What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to buy the CL basic unit nor the Quiltazoid nor the Hartley Fence nor the Topper to use the longboards. If I were new, I would start with the long boards. You will produce beautiful quilts immediately. They really do make you look good. Yes, I know you can buy other long boards, some appear cheaper, but if you do the math you may find that the Circle Lord long boards are cheaper per square inch than others. With some, you need to buy 5 or 6 lengths to equal what you get with the Circle Lord long boards. CL has many designs to choose from, and the "no interest" payment plan can not be beat. A little bit each month doesn't hurt as much as a large chunk all at once. So I guess it just depends on whether you're looking for something for blocks or for the entire quilt. ALSO: You asked why would anyone need more than one of these tools? I bought the Topper before the CL Upfront system came out. It was inexpensive, easy to use, and I could use it for circles, of course, but also for small block pattern templates. I plan to keep it because it's easy to just lay across the bars. And then I can lay line drawings on it and follow them with a laser light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mscott2611 Posted March 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 It also looks like the Topper is good for cross hatching do either of the others do cross hatching? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankiequilter Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Circle Lord has several cross hatching options. There are giant crosshatch templates (long boards), one set will do regular crosshatching, the other set will do diamond crosshatching - very cool! :cool: There is also the zig zag/waves giant templates that can be used for crosshatching, but this set will also do a multitude of other designs, extremely versatile and limited almost only by your imagination. Very, very cool! :cool::cool: There are several smaller design Circle Lord templates that are mounted on the CL unit. One will do 1/4" crosshatch (or you could skip grooves and use for 1/2", 3/4" or 1".) Another will do 5/8" crosshatch, another 1", another 1/2" curved. Many choices. Check out the Circle Lord web site and the huge variety of templates available. Michael is constantly designing new templates that are all design winners! http://circlelordindex.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mscott2611 Posted March 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 I answered my own question they have pattern boards for the cross hatching instead of rulers. This has such a large learning curve but I am soooooooooo addicted I think that I must be worse than people on Heroin. Thanks to all who read my dumb questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankiequilter Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Learning everything about quilting with a longarm is like learning to eat an elephant - you have to do it one bite at a time! :P:P Not only do we have to learn our new equiipment, but there are all the tools and things they will do, in addition to the quilty lingo. Just jump in here and ask all the questions you have. This is the most helpful and friendly forum and there is always someone willing to jump in and answer questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saratogaquilter Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 No one has mentioned the RnS boards. Please give some feedback on them. Thank you, thank you, thank you Mary! I've been wrestling with this topic myself. Thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 There are so many tools out there you just have to do your research to find the one that fits your needs the best. I don't usually use boards from the back as I'd rather be up front with the quilt. With that being said there is always a time for anything. I have lots of RnS boards and they are very high quality and well made. I have never had a problem with any of them. There are many different sizes available so you can find the one that works for you. Yes the QZ & the Topper will allow you to do Cross hatching with them. I use them with my QZ all the time. Probably the one board I use the most! I have the 1/4" board and the double sided 1/2" & 1" board. Love them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saratogaquilter Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 So you can't use the RnS boards from the front? Can you use CL boards with the QZ stylus or vice-versa? Sorry to add to the confusion. But I live in the "State of Confusion". They know me there! Sheryl This will be going into my favorites. I'm thinking of printing them all off and putting in a folder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Sheryl, I use the RnS boards on my quiltazoid. There are not holes in them to attach like you normally would but you can add them or you can clamp it on. I also clamped boards on my Topper and used it the same way. I have a u-tube video (actually part 1 & 2) showing how to use the Baptist Fan board (RnS board) on the topper. You can see that I have the board clamped on. You can find it at: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Heidi's right - you need to do some research. I think we all love our own methods. I've had the Circle Lord since early on in my career. Not only do I love the variety of designs available, but the customer service is exemplary. Quality product, versatile designs, wonderful company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgene Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Mary, Here are some questions that will help narrrow things down for you. Are you looking for something only to do block designs -- circles, crosshatch, and small pattern boards? Or are you looking for something to do entire quilts? Or both? If you wish to work from the front of the machine, I THINK the Hartley Fence only works from the back, whereas the Topper works only from the front, and the QZ and CL work from either front or back for block designs. (If I'm wrong about this, someone chime in.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Georgene makes a good point. you certainly need to decide what purpose you want the tool to help you accomplish. The qz and cl both offer front capabilities as well as long templates that can be used from the back. The qz offers a front adapter that allows you to use shorter template boards...up to about 26" from the front. You can use rns, quilt-ez or any other short board this way. The advantage of this is you only need 1 board of each design thus cutting costs if you were to buy multiples and run then across the length of the table. The qz was also the flagship design for spirographs. There are literally thousands of designs with just the spiro attachment. You can nest them and ribbon the spiros too. The qz is easy to use and is built very well. Linda and adam have stupendous customer service and the product is made in the usa. That is important to me. If you have any further questions about the quiltazoid...feel free to ask. You can send me a u2u and get my phone number if you wish to call me too. I can't speak much for the circlelord or topper since I have not used either. Try the products out and do your research as these tools all cost money and we all need to make wise decisions that work for the longrun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CindyT Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 I have a Hartley Fence somewhere. Since I purchased the Quiltazoid, the HF has been collecting dust. I use the QZ on as many quilts as I can. I'd use it on all of them if it were my choice. So many boards to choose from and all the spirograph possibilities, too. Linda and Adam are tops in customer service! Can't say enough good about them and their Quiltazoid! Good luck in your research and decision. I'm happy with mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Poulin Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Heidi, Sent U2U. Janet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Back at you Janet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Poulin Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Heidi, Please let me know if you received my last message. It keeps saying error after I have sent it. Thanks Janet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Janet, Yes I received it and responded. You can always reply to me by email (I actuall prefer) if you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 This Quiltazoid just listed for sale. Might want to check it out! http://www.apqs.com/quiltboard/viewthread.php?tid=26851&page=1#pid338957 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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