I have been very surprised and the differences in needles. I used to think that Universals were simply "less sharp", but the shank and the eye of the needle are different too. The Schmetz needles where recommended to me, and I've been getting the 90/14 quilting/piecing ones and while they are a bit more money ($5 vs $3) I have been quite happy with them. In the future I plan to have both Schmetz Universal and Schmetz piecing on hand. The 14 is better for the types of fabric I've been using so I'll be sticking with it.
http://www.sewingmachinesplus.com/sewing-needles.php That is a chart I found very helpful for understanding the different types of needles and how they are different. (FYI I haven't ever ordered from that company).
I was given some dritz sewing machine needles a few months ago, and honestly I hated them as they seemed to love BREAKING while I was machine quilting, and nothing is nastier than trying to find bits of needle in a nearly completed quilt. They might have been a thinner shank, but I wont be going there any time soon.