I bought a cheap Brother and used in class yesterday. It was annoying because the bobbin thread kept catching and I'd have three threads to pull out. Also, it doesn't have an up/down button and most times when I hand cranked it would pull the thread out of the needle. So I started holding both threads about six inches out. I am going to make a bobbin Genie out of a silicone oven liner I bought for FMQ and see if that helps. I did buy bobbins specifically for the Brother, with the right part number, on ebay really cheap. I compared them and they were identical.
I found out I had to sew much slower than I do on my Janome to prevent the bobbin from acting up.
Thanks for all the great advice you've given her (and us) on this topic.