Hooray to all of you who have found a great deal at a garage sale or auction...Isn't it fun! I have already used some of the thread on the table runners and had no problem at all. I personally have not had a problem with my machines not liking a certain brand of thread. Sometimes I have the wrong needle, or a spool will be wound badly, or something like that, and once I think the thread was just too old, but for the two or three spools so far, no problem.