AVL Pros and Cons

I'm a new weaver and am realizing there are many things I'd like to do that require an 8-harness loom.  So I've been checking craigslist and ebay for something affordable.  One that came up recently is a 40" AVL Home Loom, which I know absolutely nothing about.  So I figured I'd get you AVL owners to give me your opinions on the pros and cons.  A weaver friend says when you want to know about a loom, don't ask people what they like about it, but what they don't like.  Then decide if that's something you can live with or not.  I have read some of your posts and see that the company is quite lacking in customer service.  But how about the looms themselves?  In particular, would you say this loom would be good for rugs?  It comes with a beater weight, which I'm guessing would help with the heavy beating needed for rugs.  Can anyone explain the automatic warp tension system?  I looked at the AVL site but don't really get it.  I also saw on that site that the looms come with a sticky breast beam that you just wrap your warp around and don't have to tie on.  Really?  There was no mention of this on the listing I saw, so I don't know if that's something new or if this loom would have it.  And if it's for real, doesn't the stickiness eventually go away?  Would apreciate any comments about AVL looms.  Thanks.