I used nothing but the V needles (25-30 years ago) and they were great. Couldn't find any of my old V needles so bought some Fons and Porter ones. They are the PITS!!! They shred the thread every time. (Made in China, no doubt) They also cost way too much compared to the old ones I used to have that had about 30 or more in a package and were of varying sizes. Just shows what this world is coming to,...make it fast and cheap and charge a bunch for imported junk. Good old "Made in the USA" stuff is almost always better quality. Why can't we go back to manufacturing our own stuff and let the other countries suffer with their junk? Maybe they would learn something if we didn't continue to buy it now days.

I've just tried this, and it's a brilliant method. Really speeds up the dreary job of dealing with all the threads. Thanks very much for posting it.

Another thing you might consider is a nit-picker - you can get them on Amazon or if you are lucky, a quilt shop. They work very nicely. You put the thread in and pull it through - works nicely.