I was happy, and still am, with my HD 8 shaft 36" loom. However, I was always curious about Compu Dobby looms and wanted something wider. The loom above was a great deal for everything included, but the cost is still high, about the price of a used car.
The cost was a major deciding factor for me. I feel guilty spending that kind of money on myself, so I spoke to my husband and he said if I really wanted one, get it. I continued looking for a used loom offered by an individual, but there were none that would work for me.
AVL is located in Chico, CA. I like that they are very innovative and continue to create looms with better computers and enhanced features. I still could not bring myself to order a new loom because of the cost, but AVL buys back looms from their customers. They go over the loom completely and replace worn parts.
AVL did not have any pre-owned looms that fit my requirements so I kept watching their website. One day an A-series 40" 24 shaft CD III became available. They offered an upgrade to the newest CD4.5. So I jumped on it.
I emailed Bob Kruger at AVL with a few questions and he responded the next day. I confirmed my order with him within a few days and made a deposit of 50%. I decided to get a warping wheel, add a single box fly shuttle to the loom, changed one of the plain beams for a 1 yd sectional beam and converted the beater to an overhead beater.
Now the hardest part of ordering the loom ensued. I had to wait 12 weeks for delivery.
During that time I downloaded the assembly manual and tried to learn as much as possible about multi-shaft weaving and creating drafts for 24 shafts. I also started working with Fiberworks weaving software. I downloaded the free copy to make sure it was what I wanted to purchase when I got the loom.
The time went quickly, and before I knew it the loom had arrived.
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