tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475978338943316171.post6216720296333588026..comments2024-03-25T11:16:26.180-04:00Comments on Stories from the Sewing Room: 35 Things to Consider When Purchasing a Long Arm Quilting MachineAnne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259126076998854471noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1475978338943316171.post-86614673014023008172020-04-23T11:39:01.156-04:002020-04-23T11:39:01.156-04:00This is a great list of considerations, Anne-Marie...This is a great list of considerations, Anne-Marie. Here are a couple more things I wish I'd known before purchasing my APQS Millennium: 1. Ergonomics of frame design for custom quilting/ruler quilting at the front of the machine. The APQS frame has the quilt top roller situated above the quilt surface, requiring me to reach over it and that puts my wrist at an awkward angle especially when my left hand is holding a ruler on the quilt surface. I was able to remove the quilt top roller from my frame, fully floating my quilt tops, but that's when I discovered that the frame design also creates a 6" "dead zone" between the back of my backing roller and the furthest my machine can quilt towards me before the throat of the machine head hits the pickup roller at the back of the frame. That means I am always bent over and reaching farther away than what is ideal ergonomically, all because of the way the frame is designed. 2. When I was shopping for a longarm, all the dealers show you that the handles "adjust," meaning they can be moved into different positions. But I wish I'd realized how important it would be for me to have handles that adjust INDEPENDENTLY -- when I'm ruler quilting, I want my right handle down near the surface of my quilt for best control, but I wish I could get my LEFT handle up and out of the way so it doesn't hit my ruler hand. With APQS, it's either both handles up or both handles down, since they are connected like the handlebars of a bicycle. Finally, 3. I really wish I had a built in basting stitch like Bernina, HandiQuilter, and some others. It is tiring to have to push the half stitch button repeatedly with my thumb, over and over again for every single stitch, just to get basting stitches that are about a quarter of an inch apart!<br /><br />One more thing: I thought I was making the smart choice, buying a used demo/rental machine from an APQS dealer rather than from a private individual. However, it turned out that I had LOTS of technical issues with the machine that made the first year and a half of trying to learn how to use it a nightmare. At first I thought it was all user error, why am I so stupid that I can't get the tension adjusted right, etc., until a fellow guild member who owns the exact same machine came to my house to help me. She's the one who told me my machine wasn't working properly -- "It's not supposed to do that!" and gave me the confidence to reach out to APQS tech support directly. I spent hundreds of dollars on parts that were not covered by the lifetime warranty for me because I was not the original owner, but they WOULD have been covered for the dealer if she had corrected all of the issues prior to selling the machine to me. Very frustrating, because I thought I'd done my homework and picked a dealer who would support me post-sale. Anyway, I've gotten all those kinks worked out now and she's finally running the way she's supposed to! But I am not sure I'd choose the same machine again if I was shopping for a longarm machine today.Rebecca Gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04214091162157757315noreply@blogger.com