I don't quite understand how any decent quality machine can 'refuse' to operate with any but one specific brand of thread. Perhaps the needle is at fault, rather than the machine. At present, I have two working machines (one 'high-end' and one which many would consider 'low-end') and neither has given me any trouble, with any the the threads I've tried. I do make it a habit of using the same weight thread on top and bobbin, so that may have something to do with the machines' willingness to play nicely.
