I guess I have been 'upsold' by the thread marketers.
Back when I was making drapes and costumes and the rare garment or upholstery project, I used to use Coats and Clark for everything.
Now I'm quilting, I have come to love Aurfil for piecing because my machine loves it and the cotton print fabric loves it - it is smooth, stays in place, has a nice sheen, the 50 weight not too heavy. For Asian prints, I use Aurfil but prefer a lighter thread. For batiks, I prefer a thinner thread for piecing, even a C&C Fine. I used to hate Superior So Fine and Bottom Line because they seem to have a will of their own, but I have come to appreciate them - strong and thin and smooth. My quilting is not good enough to use a thicker showy thread. I am doing an applique wall hanging and I just bought some 100WT Invisifil - can't wait for it to arrive!
I guess the net net is I am picking threads I really like to work with, just like I pick fabric I like to work with. And I try to match the thread to the fabric and the project.