I'm sorry to hear about your troubles with monofilament thread. There might be a variety of reasons why you experienced these problems. Did you have a new/fresh needle in your sewing machine? Needles that need changed often break thread. It may have been the type of thread you were using. There are two types of mono: poly and nylon, and quality of thread does count, in my experience. Harriet Hargrave has used monofilament thread with success since the mid 80's, so it can't be all that bad under the right conditions. She has used "Sew Art" with great success, and of course there are others that work well, too. Bob Purcell at Superior Threads says polyester is better over the nylon for a variety of reasons, yet, Harriet has used the nylon for some 35 years with no problem. Obviously, everyone has their own opinion.
I've used nylon and poly off and on for several years and my only finding is that quality counts more than content. I do tend to think that if a quilted item is going to get laundered a lot, then maybe poly is the way to go.
All that said, there is a little bit of a learning curve to using this stuff in general, but there are many applications that it's nice in which to use it, especially if you're going for that 'invisible' thread look. I'll still use it from time to time, but it is a personal decision. Here are some tips for you:
http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...ar-thread.html
Hope this helps,