I am really not the fussy and try to buy in bulk/on sale, typically in the 3 size packs of 10-12-14. I do like those Schmetz MicroTex but if I'm out I'll grab Singer universal or whatever is available to me.
I do use a tiny stitch while piecing and prefer to use the size 10 needle, I will use a 12. I typically use the 14 for the quilting down, but sometimes find going up from that more suitable for the project. Before my moving hiatus I was trying different styles of needles for my quilting. I wasn't seeing much difference from a top stitch or universal or other styles.
For those of you with long arms, do you change needles sizes much?