cstucke80 Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 I have a chance to change up my Tin Lizzie Hailey frame with my Ansley DSL 26 along with my Shirley Stitcher for the Phoenix frame with a new Tin Lizzie Ansley ESP 26". Is there anyone that has had any experience with these that could help me make the right choice? If I trade in my Bernina 640 I could get the Quilt Magician to go with it and pay 4,000 more. I was always afraid of the Shirley Stitcher because we had so many problems getting one set up. I was always afraid I would start a design on a quilt that if it stopped working that I would not get the quilt finished. So I have just done free hand. Being very limited on what designs I knew I could do. Connie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagecl Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 Wish I could help, but I don't know much about Tin Lizzie. Maybe someone else will chime in with an opinion. Freehand is always a great option, and you are never limited on designs because of your imagination! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 Connie... I'm not a Bernina user, and only know of the Tin Lizzy thru this forum. I honestly have not heard of any of the other machines. Who makes the Shirley? or each of the items or programs you mentioned. Have you looked for a Tin Lizzie forum? Or one for the Shirley? I've not heard these mentioned here, it must not be a widely used product. Of course I've heard of Bernina, and Have the Bernette 40.. love the machine for stitching.. Is there nothing on You Tube about any of the products? I'm just fishing in the air, and thinking of all the possiblities of how you can possibly find a way to get the info. Good luck, hope you can find the info you need, to compare. Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstucke80 Posted May 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 The QM is made by EZ Quilts I think. The maker is Joe I am not sure of his name. The frame is from the Grace co. The machine is Tin Lizzie. I have looked at those sites without getting many answers. So I was hoping that there were some that would prefer these machines but be in my boat and have to settle at least or now for a lower end model. Is there any other system that is good but does not cost thousands that would work for me. I think the QM is my main concern to go with it or not. I appreciate any advice that I can get. What is Quit Path? Connie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 Hi Connie... Quilt Path is the new APQS computerized quilting set up. It's not cheap, either. I'm going to share the only thing I have heard first hand about Tin Lizzie. I was at a retreat a couple ago years he and there was a real nice woman there who had one. She was very unhappy. She couldn't get it to stitch properly and couldn't seem to get any support. Her DH bought it for her at a show. She told me that while it was so sweet of him, she wished he'd never bought it. Now, keep in mind this is just one person and I am not trashing any company. I have no personal experience. I have a friend who works for Handi Quilter and they have more moderately priced machines. She loves hers, but keep in mind she also works for them. I do know that you can't fix them yourself as some APQS owners do. If possible, I would try to stick with a bigger name even if you have to get an older model. Have you checked the used for sale forums? Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibbyG Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 Google reviews on it. You can always find some information that way. If you had problems setting up the old system, I'm not sure I'd want an updated version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 I want to add my two cents to this discussion.. As most of you know I have wanted a stitch regulated machine for years, but haven't had several thousand to purchase a new APQS machine. I have seen many others for $1995, $2499, etc. I even test drove one of those cheaper machines. But I decided I'd rather wait and get an APQS or if I had to get another brand it would be a Gammill. These are two of the most expensive machine brands, but I firmly believe you get what you pay for. APQS has been around forever, or so it seems. There is almost always somebody available if you have an issue, or they will get right back to you when they open. They stand behind their product 100% and the machines hold their resale value. Even though I could have bought X brand machine last year for $1995 I didn't because I didn't know who made it, where they made it, how long they had been in business, how their machines hold up, or what they would do to stand behind it if it went down. For me there was no other option than to save for the new APQS machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darlene Epp Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 My best advice Connie, would be to save up for a really good machine first. I wouldn't be adding any more $$ into the Tin Lizzie. The machine you get is the most important thing and it doesn't have to have all the bells & whistles. It just needs to be solidly built and reliable. Computerization can always be added later. You can find some REALLY good deals on used APQS machines on this forum. There are dealers and customers who want to upgrade to the latest and greatest. There are always used machines available at good prices. Just make sure you can try the machine out and can see that it's been taken care of. The great thing about APQS machines is that they are very easy to maintain yourself. I tell my customers to just keep them clean and put a drop of oil on the 5 wicks when they're almost dry. I don't believe there's an easier machine to look after on the market today. They're built with the non-mechanical woman in mind. And that would be ME! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegates Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 I sold my first APQS machine to someone who had a Tin Lizzie. She was frustrated with her machine because it wasn't powerful enough to sew through t-shirt quilt easily. But , that's all I know about Tin Lizzies!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 My friend's friend bought a tin Lizzie 5 years ago, she has so much problems with parts & performance since the beginning to date. I really think she regretted buying the brand, she did not shop around and compare before deciding. She could own a Lenni for the price she paid for her tin Lizzie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quilterbee1 Posted May 14, 2013 Report Share Posted May 14, 2013 I would rather have a used APQS,Gammill,A1 or Nolting than a Tin Lizzy. They don't have a great rep and don't hold their value,hard to find buyers too. Maybe you could trade it, Nolting does take a trade in,most companies don't. I wanted a Milli but found a nice used 14 yo Gammill instead and I feel blessed.Sometimes things just fall into place that are meant to be.APQS next time maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandyK Posted May 15, 2013 Report Share Posted May 15, 2013 All you have to do is go to a quilt show where they have both Tin Lizzy and APQS displayed. One look at the Tin Lizzy set up compared to an APQS will scare you from buying one. At least that's what happened to me. I didn't even bother to try one out to see how it performed. Tin Lizzy looked like a tinker toy compared to the Gammill or APQS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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