Why I Chose HQ

Somebody ate my freshly planted kale plant.  Carrie said it was probably a basset, and she is most likely true.  I am going to take a step further and say it was probably a basset boy. 

This was the damning evidence.



This is the remnants of the poor kale.






I have had several questions as to why I chose the HQ over all the other brands out there.  And it is a good question.  Keep in mind I have not set it up, or had any problems that required service or anything yet.  It will be  set up on Saturday and I begin playing with it.

I went to the Houston Quilt Show where I knew many dealers would be showing their wares.  I knew I was looking for an 18 inch throat and I knew I wanted a hands on dealer. 

You really have to decide these things ahead of time so you can narrow your search.  Otherwise you will be totally overwhelmed with all the buzzers and whistles and flashy lights!  I also knew I was only going to concentrate on looking at machines and  NOTHING else.  Boy that was a toughie! (so much fabric, so many quilts.....)

And I took a list of basic questions that I would ask all of them. 

1.  Where is the closest dealer to me?
2.  What service schedule is available for the machine to keep it running well?
3.  What if I have problems need  help?  How easy is it to get someone to talk to me?
4.  What happens if I have problems on Saturday night at midnight?
5.  How easy is this to thread?
6.  How easy to place the bobbin?


 There were several more I have forgotten now.  And you may have some  other important things that you must have  or prefer to have.  Write them down, copy them and put them on a clipboard.  Write  nootes as you talk to all the vendors.

OLD

I found what I suspected to be true, the machines were of siimila quality and all had seemingly interested dealers ready to help me. this might be crazy, but I really used my gut to help me feel if the  person appeared to be sincere.

I also had spoken to people I knew with the machines I thought I would  encounter at the show. 

NEW getting set up

In the end, I chose the HandiQuilter machine  because the dealer is one town over, maych 10 miles from me.  An Ihave two friends who have  had gret success with thiis dealer and use their machines to push the limits of creativity. (Maybe it will rub off on me.)

Honestly, I think all th machines are great macines.  I looked at the Pfaff, Nolting, tiin Lizie, APQS,  Bernina, and two others I can't think of right now. 

Basically, you have to know what you want from a machine, and choose the machine to get it.  Having a involved dealer is  definite plus!

So..what questions would you want to know from a dealer?