ckcowl, I was told that C&C would be terrible in my machine too and they recommended Robison-Anton and they gave me a bunch of it to start off with....honestly I can't tell the difference, I think the R-A thread is just as linty as C&C. It just comes on bigger spools. LOL
My machine sews with whatever I put into it. I DO prefer Aurifil (especially for piecing) because it's so thin and low-lint and I can fit so much on a bobbin, but I have loads of C&C and A-R left; I tend to use that for quilting because it's a little thicker and I want the threads to show. I certainly am not about to throw it out, I must have miles of thread!
Connecting Threads brand is my new favorite thread behind Aurifil though. SO inexpensive, and seems just as good (if not better) than C&C or R-A, and tons of colors to pick from. Linty, sure, but it's not that hard to clean out my machine every now and then. I sew a lot of flannel so I have piles of lint no matter what anyway. I'm waiting for another CT thread sale and I'm going to buy a whole rainbow! I just wish they had varigated thread.