Would you like to save yourself between $5,000 & $18,000 and still get the results your looking for? You might want to consider the SuperQuilter Proflex Frame and any one of the 9" to 17" heads available on the market instead. Sound too good to be true? Read on...

Before you do anything else, ask yourself why you're thinking of buying a long arm in the first place. For most people it comes down to one of 2 reasons; either you want to start a quilting business or you just want the quality of motion and large throat capacity that only a traditional long arm can provide (or so you've been told!). For many it's some of both.

The reality is that about 95% are really just looking for a larger throat capacity than they can get with a "normal" sewing machine, normal being 6" when measured from the needle to the back of the throat. If you haven't yet experienced a 9" throat like the Juki TL98s, Brother 1500, Babylocks, Janomes, etc. you'll find that the extra 3" makes a world of difference and that may be enough to satisfy your needs although it's still nowhere near the flexibility of having 16+ inches of throat available especially when most block patterns are 12" or under in size.

Take note that the Proflex actually has 2 "modes" built in. It can be setup to properly operate with machines up to 10" throat in one mode and over 10" throat in the other so you can upsize or downsize whenever you want without buying any extension kits. When you're done reading this page you might want to click on the "Photos" link at the top of the page to see more detailed pictures of the different ways you can set up a Proflex.

If you know you're lookoing for more than a 9" machine can give you but don't really need 24+" you're in luck. Over the last few years a number of long arm manufacturers have started producing "mid-arm" heads and "stretched" machines in the 16 to 18 inch range that sell around the $2,000 to $4,000 mark. Trust me when I tell you that a 16" throat will completely satisfy 99% of the people that think they need a long arm. Some of these manufacturers also offer their own frames with the "mid-arm" heads but, as with all "long-arm" style frames there are some disadvantages.

First, they're usually 2 to 3 times the price of the Proflex. Secondly, they are big, heavy and awkward to handle. "Of course" you say, "they're made of steel!" and you're right, but that's part of the problem. Take a look at how a long arm frame is put together. They are massive, heavy and they do NOT come apart easily to relocate or simply just to move out of your way. They are industrial machines after all. Do you really need a dump truck just to pickup groceries?

If you have a large (about 18-20 feet by 8-10 feet) empty room just begging you to fill it with a monster long arm that will NEVER MOVE, you're in the minority. Most people can't afford to dedicate so much of their home to the use of one single machine.

If you're one of the majority who can't, or simply don't want to give up that much real estate; the Proflex is definitely for you. It's been engineered to be strong and rock steady but when broken down into it's 5 main pcs for transport (plus the fabric & track bars of course, but they come out separately) can easily be handled by one person. It will take most people about an hour to put it together right out of the box and then only about 15 minutes to take it down or set it back up from then on.

So we've discussed the size and weight issue, let's talk Quality of Motion. Long arms are smooooth (at least the good ones are anyway). You may have tried other non-long arm quilt frames at shows or in your local dealers showroom and found them to be what is best described as "mushy". They lack the precise control that you get with a long-arm inspired frame like the Proflex. Without precise control you will always be frustrated with the quality of your work, it's like trying to write a letter with a pen the consistency of Jello.

The "mushiness" is usually due to one (or more) of 3 critical design issues:
a) The quality and number of the wheels on the carriages
b) The sturdiness of the handles (if the machine your using doesn't have it's own)
c) (most importantly) The quality of the track the bottom carriage rides on.

a) Quality of the Wheels
Almost all long arms use a total of 8 bearings and they're usually precision sealed ball bearing wheels as you would expect from an industrial quality machine. Many lesser frames don't even use sealed ball bearings at all. The Proflex uses precision sealed ball bearing wheels just like a long-arm but we use 16 of them, that's twice as many as most long arms!

Precision ball bearing wheels are essential for smooth motion and the Proflex has them.

b) Quality of the Handles
Assuming that you're not using a 16+ inch head (which almost always have their own metal handles) you'll be using the handles supplied with the frame or handles which are purchased as a separate accessory from the frame manufacturer. Again, as you'd expect, the Proflex comes with handles at no extra charge and they are rock solid with 3 heavy duty top cross braces; 2 of which are quickly removable for easy machine loading. Solid handles allow you to translate the slightest touch into needle movement.

Solid handles are absolutely neccessary to quality work and the Proflex has it.

c) Quality of the Tracks
This one is the biggey! The #1 reason for poor quality motion is a poorly engineered track system. Longarms almost always use one piece steel tracks or one piece aircraft aluminum tracks because it's the only way to get a smooth and predictable motion. What does the Proflex use? What else... One piece steel tracks.

Other manufacturers use the plastic inserts because they're cheap to manufacture and easy to roll up into a box. They allowed packaging and marketing concerns to dictate the design of their track system. Plastic flexes back and forth causing that "mushy" feeling. The wheels on the carriages often also cause "dents" if you leave your machine parked in one place for any length of time.

Does it make sense to you that a precision quilting machine weighing 30+ pounds should be expected to ride smoothly back and forth on the thin edge of 2 plastic strips that are soft enough to be rolled up into a box? Of course not. We tested that very design over 2 years ago. We just decided that it wasn't good enough to be a SuperQuilter product.

Steel is the track of choice and the Proflex has it.

And Long Arms can use templates too!
Again, Proflex is there. Everybody wants a stylus and template system so we looked into designing and building the best we could possibly make but guess what? Somebody already had so why reinvent the wheel! Instead we worked in co-operation with Quilt-EZ when designing the Proflex so it would work flawlessly with their awesome new stylus sytem. If you've ever tried other template systems and found them to be sloppy and sticky you'll be amazed when you try to Quilt-EZ system and see how smooth and precise it is. (I know it's hard to imagine that one system can be both sloppy AND sticky but many are).

They also have an awesome selection of templates in a vast array of sizes.

Think about it this way.

You can buy a fixed length, 500 pound, immovable, long arm machine for roughly $10,000 to $20,000, eating a whole in your pocket and consuming an entire room in your house OR you can buy a Proflex professional quality quilt frame, make it any length you desire, and equip it with a 9 to 18 inch head for between roughly $1,500 to $6,000. Plus you'll be able to set it up or take it down in 15 minutes or less anytime your heart desires.

Hopefully we've convinced you to take a close look at the SuperQuilter Proflex or at least helped you to decide if a long arm is really for you. If you've got any other questions, either frame or quilting related, give our support team a call. They aren't just sales people, they're expert quilters who also have long arm experience and they can answer almost any question.