Gutermann and Mettler are the standard threads that we can buy in my town.I have no problem with either of them.Aurifil can be purchased an hour and a half drive away. It is more expensive for the reel but there is twice as much thread on the reel as well. It is very nice to sew with Aurifil as well. The only threads I will not sew with are the really cheap ones that break all of the time. The one I liked the best was Tanne and I think it was a shame that they stopped manufacturing it.