I use pre-wounds all the time and my Brother loves them. I have used several brands but the last ones my dealer sent me were called Exquisite but I've also used Fil-Tec. I also wind my own if I should run out of the pre-wounds. I also use either 60wt or 90wt. 90wt is thinner. I have used the black pre-wounds with no problems.
As to stabilizers, Paper Princess is correct. The fabric and the density of design determine the type of stabilizer you need. Here is another good site to learn about fabric/thread/stabilizers:
www.embrlibrary.com I print out the articles and keep them in a 3 ring binder for easy reference.
One other thing that is suggested is to stitch out the design on similar fabric/stabilizer prior to doing the actual item. I know this sounds wasteful but all designs are not created equal and you wouldn't want to ruin the actual item especially if it is a one-of-a-kind purchased item. I save my stitch-outs for later use in some way. Or if it doesn't stitch out well, I make notes on what went wrong and keep the "bad" stitch-outs in plastic protectors in a 3 ring binder. Some times you have to make adjustments in the stabilizer or design itself. Of course, sometimes I "cheat" and if the design is stitching well, I don't complete the whole design. LOL