Handi Quilter Amara ST 20 Review: Is This $9,495 Sit-Down Longarm Worth It?

Handi Quilter Amara ST 20 specs

Specs above come from Handi Quilter's Amara ST specifications as published by authorized dealer Quality Sewing, and the manufacturer feature bullets on the Amazon listing.

What does the Handi Quilter Amara ST 20 do best?

A sit-down longarm flips the usual longarm arrangement: the machine is fixed in a table, and you move the quilt under the needle, the way you would on a household machine but with far more room. The Amara ST 20 does this with 20 inches of throat, so you can quilt a large section of a quilt before repositioning, and custom work such as feathers, ruler work and dense fills becomes practical.

InSight stitch regulation keeps stitch length even as you speed up and slow down, across a range of 4 to 24 stitches per inch, and a manual mode is there when you want the machine to run at a set speed. An owner review of the Amara head praises its precise control and crisp stitches, its large 7 inch touch screen for reviewing settings, and a tension display that shows readings while you still set tension by hand.

The lift table is the ergonomic win. Push-button height adjustment lets you quilt seated for detail work, then raise the table and stand to use your shoulders rather than your wrists. For a quilter with a sore back or knees, being able to change position mid-session is worth a lot.

What is the honest weakness of the Handi Quilter Amara ST 20?

You still move the whole quilt, and that is physical work. A king-size quilt with batting is heavy and bulky, and on a sit-down machine you lift, push and reposition it constantly. One forum owner notes that 20 inches of throat is about the limit of what their arms can reach while free-motion quilting, and an owner review of the Amara head describes it as much heavier than their previous machine, with an adjustment period of arm soreness. That reviewer advises anyone with limited grip or arm strength to test drive one first.

A sit-down also means basting every quilt, with pins or spray, because the layers are not held on rollers. And while it excels at custom quilting, edge-to-edge pantograph designs across big bed quilts are faster and easier on a frame machine.

Then there is money and room. At about $9,495 it costs more than a 15 inch frame package, and the 38 x 38 inch table needs clear space around it for the quilt to drape and for you to sit or stand comfortably.

What do Handi Quilter Amara owners consistently report?

• Praise: precise control and crisp, even stitches with regulation on.
• Praise: the large, adjustable touch screen and clear tension readout.
• Praise: a wide range of rulers and add-ons, with new features arriving for existing models.
• Praise: satisfaction from quilters who traded other brands' sit-down longarms for an Amara.
• Complaint: the physical effort and weight, including arm and shoulder fatigue while adjusting.
• Complaint: reach; 20 inches is near the practical limit of free-motion reach for some quilters.

Published owner reviews of the ST sit-down version specifically are limited, and several themes come from owners of the Amara head on a frame. The stitch quality praise applies to both; the physical-effort complaints matter even more on the sit-down version.

What warranty and support come with the Handi Quilter Amara ST 20?

Handi Quilter's longarm warranty, as listed by dealers, covers 10 years on the casting, 5 years on electronics and 5 years on mechanical parts. Dealers often add their own coverage; Quality Sewing, for example, lists a 1 year store warranty on top. Ask what labor coverage and in-home or in-store service your dealer provides, since a longarm is not easy to ship.

Buying from an authorized Handi Quilter retailer also usually means setup and training, which is valuable on a machine at this price. We found no Handi Quilter recall in a search of CPSC recall listings.

How does the Amara ST 20 compare with frame longarms and mid-arms?

Our sit-down vs frame longarm comparison is the right starting point, followed by Handi Quilter vs Grace and midarm vs longarm.

Sibling reviews: the Grace Little Rebel review, the Juki TL-15 review and the Grace Q-Zone Hoop Frame review.

What space, supplies and budget does the Amara ST 20 need?

The lift table is 38 x 38 inches. Add clear floor space in front for your chair and behind and to the left for the quilt to drape, and a sit-down longarm realistically claims a corner of a room. A tall drafting-style chair such as the ErGear Drafting Chair (about $130, 8 inch seat height travel) suits the table when it is raised part way, and a floor lamp like the Daylight Slimline 4 Floor (about $225) lights the whole quilting field.

• Longarm needles such as Handi Quilter Longarm Needles (about $15 for 20).
• A slick surface under the quilt, such as the Supreme Slider Queen (about $40), and Machingers Quilting Gloves (about $10) for grip.
• Quilting thread on large cones, such as Glide 40wt 5,000 m (about $15 for 5,000 m).
• Batting bought by the roll, like Warm & Natural 40 yd Roll (about $300), once you are finishing several quilts a month.
• Spray baste such as Odif 505 (about $29) or plenty of pins, since sit-down quilts must be basted.

Use the longarm cost calculator to compare the machine against sending quilts to a longarm service; it pays back fastest for quilters who finish many quilts a year.