You’ve been thinking about this for a while, I can tell. You really want to quilt large quilts, but hate the thought of shoving all that fabric through the arm of your domestic machine. You’ve finally decided that you want to buy a car. Whoops — no, strike that: You’ve finally decided that you want to buy a longarm quilting machine (which can cost about as much as a car!). Let me help you with your purchasing decision.
I started out a few years ago quilting on a 9″ Juki 98 on a Hinterberg frame with Max Throat (a system theoretically designed to allow you to quilt larger spaces with a small machine; it didn’t work amazingly well, and is no longer being sold). After going through some generational upgrades, I finally purchased the ABM International 26″ Innova. If you are thinking of purchasing a machine, I think you should do the same thing! In fact, I feel so strongly about this that I became a sales representative for ABM. Here’s why:
1. If you’re just starting and want to get into long-arm quilting at a reasonable price, you can purchase the 18″ Innova complete with professional frame for about the cost of the lower-quality machines (HQ16, Tin Lizzie, Grand Quilter, etc.). Many of the lower-end machines out there are clones of each other (along with their frames) — they all have fundamental limitations because of their need to cut costs. The Innova 18″ is a fully professional machine, yet still cost-competitive. Trust me, you want to get as good of a machine as you can — upgrading later can be a pain, because most dealers with not take “trade-ins” of your old machine. Get what you want, now. (Ask me how I know this….)
2. If you want to become a professional quilter, you need a machine that has good support. Innova has 24/7 toll-free telephone support — really. I got my machine over Easter weekend; I had a question, called support on Easter Sunday evening, and immediately my problem was resolved by Michael, the father of the CEO. Yes, ABM is a family owned company — the “M” in ABM is for Michael, who enjoys talking to and supporting quilters. Try that with any other company.
3. Hopefully, you don’t need support. The machine should work all the time. And the Innova does just that. Once I got my Innova up and running, I haven’t had to call that support number once. (Maybe that’s why ABM can afford to do it!). If you join any of the yahoo ABM groups (do a search on ABM Innova), you’ll find that there is no grumbling on machine problems. Join some of the other groups from other manufacturers and compare — no problems are unheard of.
4. You want a machine that is the best engineering to date, and a company that is continually working to improve their machine. Because Innova is a relatively new player to the home longarm market (despite making industrial versions of these since the early 1900′s), they are agressively courting quilters. As a result, they are continually coming out with new improvements and add-ons to their system. And, these improvements and add-ons are plug-and-play! Everything in the Innova design is modular — you can buy what you need now, and add on future improvements later. Other companies have massive retrofit fees and workarounds that result in ugly systems.
5. Toys. (Oh, maybe I should say “extra features”.) I love things that make my life easier and more efficient. Innova has so many features to their frame and machine system that are simply not available anywhere else — from the powered takeup roller to the integrated crosshatch system to the pivot buffer roller. New features are coming out soon as well! The advantage of having engineers design your system is that they are always coming out with new features. Way cool.
6. If you want to go computerized, you want a machine that the robotic system integrates with seamlessly. I’ve used 3rd-party robotic systems, and it can be a pain coordinating between two companies when you have issues. The robot that Innova sells (the AutoPilot) is the same basic robot that they use in their proven industrial machines, so you know it will work perfectly. The software is designed in house, so you can quickly communicate features you need and the software program will be updated. No waiting three years for a new software version like other manufacturers.
I hope I’ve convinced you to seriously consider the ABM Innova for your longarm purchase. I can help you further — contact me and I can provide you more details. If you purchase from me, you’re purchasing from a professional quilter who uses this machine on a daily basis. I can give you all the ins and outs, useful tricks, and detailed support on the computerized Innova AutoPilot system. If you live locally in the Colorado / Wyoming area, you can stop by and play with the machine and the AutoPilot yourself. I hope I can help you learn to love the Innova as much as I do!