Has Coats & Clark thread quality changed in the past few years?
 

Most of the thread I have was acquired before Coats & Clark changed their dual duty thread from cotton covered polyester to 100% polyester. What was then generally available was C&C or the "really cheap stuff"

Neither my machines nor I have had issues with this thread - C&C "older style" dual duty - so I am wondering why so many others seem to dislike it.

Or is it actually a case of liking other brands better? Which is fine - Some people prefer any Ford product over any Chevrolet product - and vice versa.

I use it and have always had good luck with it. I am a whatever works and looks good person. I've had Fords. Chevys, Chrysler products and now a Jeep. Used till quit working or ranout of steam.

C&C is expensive compared to other brands. Do a comparison of yardage on spool to cost and you will be surprised. Unless I shop online or go to quilt shops I can't find any thread but C&C in my town. I use Superior, Aurifil, or Connecting Threads Pro for piecing. For machine quilting I use a variety of different threads depending on the look I want.

I agree. C&C is a lot more expensive than people think it is. You don't get much thread on a spool for the price you pay for it and it's just not the quality that you can get with other threads.

I like Aurifil and Metrosene best but if I need a particular color, mostly for garment sewing or alterations, I will use Coats and Clark because that's what the store closest to me sells. For piecing I generally use Aurifil gray and have that on hand because I plan ahead. For quilting I always start with a new spool because then I know I will have enough. It seems like I do a lot of quilting in white. I usually use Metrosene for quilting and will stock up when it goes on sale.

I was shocked however when digging through my thread supply to find an older spool of Metrosene and one more recently purchased for a comparison. Both spools had a small amount left on them. The outside of the spool was the same size. The inside however on the older spool was considerably smaller meaning there had been a lot more thread on that spool initially. Not only has the price of thread gone up the amount of thread you get on a spool has greatly decreased.

Sorry, most of what I have is their old quilting thread. I have always used it to hand stitch binding to the back because it doesn't snag into knots as easily as normal thread does.

Since I use all cotton fabrics in my quilts, I prefer to use all cotton thread as well. C&C S970 is my thread of choice for piecing.

Yes it has ever since they moved their mfg to Mexico. When I find a store going out of business and they have the older, I really stock up.

I'm learning to prefer other brands. The C&C spools at places like Walmart and Joann's just don't hold much thread. A bigger spool doesn't necessarily mean more thread, kind of like an oversize bag for potato chips. I bought some #40 YLI for quilting and I'm really impressed with it. Sometime soon I'm hoping to place an order with Connecting Threads for some of the colors I'm most likely to use.
Rodney

For me, the non-use of Dual Duty (old or new) is the fact that I use only cotton thread, so C&C poly in any form isn't a consideration for me. However, I do like the newer C&C Star Mercerized Cotton threads. I have no negative feelings towards the brand, just some of the products.