ffq-lar Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 I put this checklist together recently, when asked how to tell which machine to buy. When going to test-drive a longarm at a show or a dealer, bring paper for taking notes and a small ruler. After the salesperson shows you the specifics of the machine, ask if you can be left alone so you can get an impression of the machine without pressure. Take someone with you to keep the dealer occupied with questions about price, shipping, and add-ons so you can get some alone time. Check-- The frame. Is it solid? Is there an easy way to adjust the height? Is there a lift system available? Are the handles easy to hold and are the controls intuitive? How is the lighting? Are the lights LED? Is there an auto-advance for the rollers? If you have arm/shoulder/back weakness or arthritis, is the manual advance easy and comfortable? Some frames have four rollers, with a bare leveler roller that means the quilt is always at the proper level without adjustment. If the frame has three rollers, is the roller adjustment system easy to access and adjust? The machine. Listen to the motor in both manual and stitch-regulated mode. Is it extra loud? You'll be living with that for a long time--all of them are growly-loud. Just make sure it's not too loud for you. With the machine off, see how far a push will send the head of the machine--front to back and side to side. Think about the force it takes to start and stop the head. See if you can push it diagonally easily. Diagonals require some strength and concentration since the x/y axis of the rails make it want to naturally travel horizontally and vertically. The stitching. How intuitive are the controls? Try stitching in both manual and SR mode. Listen to the motor as you speed up and slow down. Does it sound labored or whiney/growly? Set your stitches-per-inch at 10 and stitch a square in SR mode. Use the ruler to count the stitches in one inch on all four sides for accuracy. Try to stitch a circle (it's hard to freehand) and see if the stitches are a consistent length all around the circle. This will show you how well the SR works and if you can count on consistent stitch length. With the machine started in SR mode, close your eyes and stitch around--no design or pattern. How does it feel? Is it rough or smooth? Does it "complain" when you speed up? Is there a lot of vibration? Then do some eyes-open stitching for fun! Service--A lot has been said about after-sale service. Don't ask the dealer--go on-line and look for real reviews and complaints (or kudos) from actual owners. Go to the various chats and throw out specific brands and get some real-people feedback. You know how we all feel about APQS! Add-ons. Make a list of must-haves and wanna-haves. See what's standard, what's available and for how much. Write down notes as soon as you can. Highlight the things that impressed (or didn't impress) you. If you test-drive a bunch of machines at a show, go back a second time when you feel you've narrowed down the field. And rest assured that the one you decide on will be the best for you. You did your homework! Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Row Studio Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Very comprehensive list Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lkl Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Linda Your summary is all encompassing and a valuable resource for anyone interested in purchasing a LA for the first, or second time. Before I purchased my machine I attended a large quilt show where the various LA were featured and was able to test drive them. In addition, I took several LA classes were I was able to use several different machines for a few hours. I then listed all the machines in a spreadsheet and was able to track the brands features most important to me. I didn't have enough knowledge to evaluate much more that ease of use, sound, stability of table, quality of stitches and machine appearance. What ultimately sold me on the APQS was the personal attention I was offered when I visited the vendor booth. Thank you once more for sharing your expertise. Leslie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WandaGerdes Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 This would have been nice to have when I was looking. I couldn't find a check list or things to look for. I only even tried a few machines. It's ironic the one I didn't have a chance to try was APQS. I find that funny now lol. I did however watch a lot of forums for some time. As well as call companies I was interested in. Between you wonderful people and APQS team I bought my Millennium right off this forum. I've never regretted it. I feel blessed to be a part of the APQS family. Thank you Linda! This will help people know what to do/look for in buying a long arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaniceC Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 The only other thing I might add, and I have no idea how one might test this, is (if you had a chance) to test over seams. Dealers at shows always have a whole cloth piece of fabric, top and bottom, with batting. In reality, we are generally quilting over seams; flat-ish ones, and not so flat ones. My previous machine (not APQS) was very bumpy on the panto side going over any seam. Don't know why, and I was never able to get an answer or to correct it, but it was very disruptive to my rhythm. Just a thought. Janice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wannabelongarm Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Our APQS rental programs are great for allowing people to learn how to quilt a quilt using a panto and they get to try the machine and actually quilt for several hours while they get one of their quilts finished in the process. There are starting to be more APQS rental programs across both Canada and the US. We are also running 'pop-up' rentals now, too and they are a blast. Quilters love seeing the APQS Sprinter in their city or town! Joanne Flamand APQS Sales and Education - Canada www.artisticquiltdesign.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Tree Tami Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Great checklist Linda! I too second how great it is to test drive a machine through some type of rental program. You really begin to know how a machine feels after you've spent a few hours quilting on it. The Pop-Up rental centers sounds awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 I would just add one thing to Linda's list. When you test the machine, stitch a square to represent a quilt block. Then go back and stitch diagonals and arcs and some of the designs you might stitch in quilt blocks and see how well/easy the machine handles these tasks. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeannieB Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 And stitch a triangle. make sure those sitches in the points come out as points and not a flat stitch at the peak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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