pumpkinpatchquilter Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 I am saving all of my pennies to buy IntelliStitch for my Ultimate 1 and I have a few questions! For those of you who have it, can you tell me a little more about the process? It's a little confusing on the web site - do you go to them to have it installed or do they come to you? What kind of cost in addition to the $3000 am I looking at to have them come here to install it? Also - I have Edgerider wheels but I think they are older - do I leave my wheels alone or are you supposed to change the wheels with I/S? What is better, Edgeriders or M&M's?? Am I correct in that the handles are built into the I/S system - so my current ergonomic handles will be removed? What happens with those? Do they leave those with me? Anything else I should know?? Thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewhappy Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 I have been wondering the same~I look forward to the answers you recieve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunningThreads Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 Valerie They will come to your studio and do the install, it takes a good part of the day. I believe you will pay a deposit when you order and pay the balance on installation day. With you being in Ohio I suspect your travel cost for the installer should be minimal. I managed to split my cost with another quilter having the IQ and IS installed about an hour away. I would change the wheels If yours are getting old, both are good but I like the M&M's better. Edgeriders are made by the same people as IQ and IS if you didn't know already. I had Helen and Tony Baczynski from South Dakota do mine. Email Helen powerquilting@gmail.com and she will be happy to talk you through the process. Almost forgot, they reuse your handles but change the switches. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted August 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2013 Awesome thank you Nigel!! I just spoke to the former owner of my machine today and she said she estimated the wheels to be 5 years old...so I'm going to guess that new ones wouldn't be a bad idea. I did not know that Edgeriders were made by the same people as IS - so the people who make IQ make IS? I didn't know that either!! Thank you this is very helpful!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitepinesquilter Posted August 24, 2013 Report Share Posted August 24, 2013 Everything above is as I know it also. I paid right at the $3000 with no additional fees as I was willing to be flexible in my installation date and wait until they had another one in the general area. So my install date was about 5-6 weeks later than if mine done as one trip but that saved them and me. You just fill out the form on their website, and they get back to you for more information and details. You'll be so happy with it! You can save up tons more pennies and they'll install the I/S right along with I/Q Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bliss Quilter Posted August 24, 2013 Report Share Posted August 24, 2013 Contact Angela Huffman of Quilted Joy http://www.quiltedjoy.com/intelliquilter she is a dealier and could answer a lot of your questions, and tell you who is your area is a dealer. I have been working with the Texas dealer Joy Shilling from Stitches of Joy Quilting In Dallas Tx Area. We have been corresponding for several months now with me trying to decide if I wanted to take the plung. There is a new KIOSK (Tablet) coming out later this year. I am going to pay the extra $200 to get it, because the touch screen will be more senstive to touch because I want to crate my own designs. Good Luck!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted August 24, 2013 Report Share Posted August 24, 2013 Valerie: I had Hellen and Tony do my install. Since all the new machines have stitch regulators available to them, the installation of the I/S system is kind of dieing out. I think Hellen and Tony are about the only ones who do it besides Zultan himself. Helen came all the way from Las Vegas to do mine. However, since you live in Ohio, you can probably get Zultan or one of the other Kasa Engineering folks to come out and do yours, or at the worst, take you machine head to them and have it done. In 2011 it cost me $2950 for the install, and $250 for travel. I highly recommend the upgrade. I would also encourage you to get it done as soon as you can because I'm not sure how long they will continue doing it. I'm not worried about product support, because Nolting still uses the I/S on all their machines. I'm just concerned about installers. There are a lot of dealers who can install an I/Q for you, but almost none who do the I/S. I had to wait for Hellen to have time in her schedule (a couple of months I think) to have mine done. Talk to the folks at Kasa about your edgerider wheels. I don't know what the life expectency of a set is. I've had mine for over three years, and there is no sign of failure, but then I have an Ultimate 2, and the vertical wheels don't seem to fail as rapidly as the horizontals on your machine. You could probably have Kasa install a set of new Edgeriders at the same time as the I/S installation if your machine needs them. There are many desirable features to the I/S system. You have a choice of 6,8,10,12, or stipple which is about 16 stitches to the inch. There is a basting feature, 1/2 inch or 1 inch stitches. Manual mode can be just that, or you can use in in a start stop controlled mode (much like APQS Glide system I think). and there are electronic adjustments for all the system functions. This is a first rate stitch control system, better than most. It's been factory installed on Nolting, Ken Quilt, and A-1 machines (Nolting is the only one still using it, (A-1 has their own now, and Ken Quilt is out of business) The installation won't make you a better quilter, it will only make doing a lot of things with your machine so much easier. If you don't have a factory laser, Kasa can add that as well. I had one put on my machine (cost $125 I think). The addition of the I/S will bring your Ult 1 into the "modern" machine category. You won't have to worry about ever replacing it. If you eventually want to upgrade to a computer driven system you can have an I/Q installed on it, no problem. Or if the table isn't what you want, you can get a new one, or have a custom one made. Good luck, and regards. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted August 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2013 Thank you for all of the information!!! Jim - now you've got me panicking a little bit!!! I have to save up so it won't be until sometime next year at the soonest. My goal is by this time next year. It really all depends on how business goes. *fingers crossed* Some days I have three or four quilts sitting in the other room waiting to be done and then other days I don't have anything and I'm trying to drum up business! You would think that people are still getting them installed though just because of all the older machines floating around that don't have stitch regulation? Also I know at least Gammill still sells a non-stitch regulated machine new don't they? Eep!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted August 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2013 Hahaha - ok well the panic you put me in was a good thing Jim because the Hubby is letting me use some of our anticipated tax returns at the end of the year. LOL We are saving up for a Disney Vacation too so I will still have to quilt like a mad woman, but that means I should be able to get my I/S in the spring. Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted August 24, 2013 Report Share Posted August 24, 2013 Well, you do have the benefit of being close to Kasa Engineering. Even if they loose their installers, someone there would probably be willing to do the installation for you. Don't mention that to your husband though. Just keep it to yourself and relax. The I/S will probably open up a new world of quilting for you. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted August 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2013 I sure hope so!! I'm a big fan of very intricate detailed quilting and I'm just ITCHING to have a little more control. I've been able to do quite a bit without it, but I think it's just going to make my life so much easier. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen Baczynski Posted August 24, 2013 Report Share Posted August 24, 2013 Jim's suggestion that the IntelliStitch stitch regulator is dying out may have been true when we installed his I/S but in recent years it has picked up again so don't worry, they are still being installed. A couple of new installers have been added this year, one in California (because we moved from Las Vegas to South Dakota. We used to cover California) and another in Texas. My husband and I have installed as many I/S' as iQ's so far this year. Judith was talking about IntelliQuilter, the computer guidance system, when she mentioned contacting Angela. While Angela is an iQ installer/support person, she doesn't do I/S'. Kasa Engineering make IntelliStitch, IntelliQuilter and EdgeRider wheels. We travel to you to install I/S so the only additional cost will be a travel fee and that will be based upon how far the installer has to travel to you. A self install is not an option with I/S because it is quite an involved process. We do not replace your handles, but we do replace the switches. ER wheels are not required. Basically we replace all the electrical and electronic components of your machine, including the motor. We do not touch the mechanical parts so if your machine makes a good stitch now, it should continue to do so. Helen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie H Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Valerie, I have a Nolting 24 Pro that has an Intellistitch built in. The other day, out of curiosity and wondering how you quilt so beautifully without your stitch regulator while doing ruler work, I turned off my stitch regulator and tried quilting with rulers. Wow, I really don't know how anyone quilts with rulers/templates without a stitch regulator! My hat is off to you!!! You are doing marvelously right now, but you will simply LOVE LOVE LOVE having the stitch regulator for the ruler work alone! A trip to Disney sounds wonderful but I'd rather have my Intellistitch regulator If I had a choice (I don't have little kids anymore so I guess that's not really fair) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted August 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Helen - thank you!!! That put a lot of my fears at ease and you answered many of my questions! I am glad to know that you are not losing installers but rather, gaining them. That is great to know! Some day I will likely upgrade to a Millennium but I'm hoping that my Ultimate 1 will last me a good long time before I make that upgrade. Now I'm excited!!! Bonnie - you are so kind!!! Ha! It wasn't easy at first with rulers and still, some rulers are really tricky, but for the most part I have adjusted to hitting the off button and gliding into corners and stops where others would rely on the stitch regulator to sense that they are slowing and stopping. I JUST got a ruler base so that is a huge help!! I was able to do short straight lines and free hand stitch in the ditch for the most part, but now I can play with curved cross hatch and circles and all sorts of things I struggled with before. I want so badly to practice some tight fills that I'm afraid I just won't achieve the accuracy I want without I/S. It will be my late Christmas gift!!!!!!! I cannot wait!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted August 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 OH - hahaha and I've been to Disney World before but I have three kids at home who are still small and I'm pretty sure they will NOT trade in their Disney Vacation for my stitch regulator!!! LOL Truth be told I would skip it and spend the money on my long arm too!!! It is pretty awesome though to see those little faces looking up at the real Cinderella. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bliss Quilter Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 "I want so badly to practice some tight fills that I'm afraid I just won't achieve the accuracy I want without I/S. It will be my late Christmas gift!!!!!!! I cannot wait!!! :)" I do not use the Stitch Regulator for tight fill, due to the quick tight movement, the needle deflecs and breaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitepinesquilter Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 I'm in NE Iowa and Zoltan and Barna (Kasa) did my install. They kicked me out of the room while they did the install - they said something along the line that i really didn't want to see what they needed to do I went downstairs and studied the manual while they drilled and installed away. When they called me back up there was a perfectly running stitch regulated machine waiting for me to use. They went over the functions with me before they took off to catch their plane. It went very smoothly, and you'll be glad when you do it, also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitepinesquilter Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Val, like Jim mentioned, there are several settings you may choose from including stippling settings used for those small fills with tight curves. The stippling setting has more spi so your pattern stitches are smooth, and it prevents broken needles caused by too much deflection. You can, however, still move it to manual mode if you so choose - that is the beauty of it all. I found I still had a slight learning curve with using my machine after the I/S was added. That was to let the I/S do what it was designed to do and me to just steer rather than control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen Baczynski Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 While I sometimes prefer to not use the regulation for tight background fills, it can be done with the S setting of I/S. You do not need to worry about the needle deflecting with I/S because of the way I/S works. With every stitch, the needle is passes very quickly through the fabric. It doesn't matter if you are moving the machine slowly or fast, each individual stitch is very fast. This is one of the differences in the way I/S works in comparison to other regulators. With some machines, when you move the machine slowly, the needle is also moving slowly which can cause it to deflect. Helen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie H Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 Judith, I can use mine in SR mode and do tight fills with no problems. I use the "S" setting. Could it be yours is different because you have a FunQuilter? My FunQuilter didn't have the smaller stitch length settings but I know you have a different one than I had. Mine had the equalizer stitch regulator on it. I do not use the Stitch Regulator for tight fill, due to the quick tight movement, the needle deflecs and breaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted August 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2013 This is good to know, thank you Helen and everyone. I did not know that about the I/S and it's movement so that is great. Now I have something to pay attention to with other long arms with stitch regulation too. Edited to add 8/26/13 at 5:57pm - I wrote that up there after returning from Quilt National 2013 with friends...that's NINE LONG hours of driving!!!! Sorry for being short and my lack of smileys!!! Just for that I thought I'd throw these in there so you know it REALLY is me!!! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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