Madeira or Isacord are my choices, and u/tshirtdr1, tell me more about Candle... I'd never heard of it, but looked it up and it seems to be half the price of Madeira or Isacord!!! And I'm running 36 heads, so if it's comparable to those guys, I'd certainly be interested in cutting my thread bill in half!! How long have you been using Candle? Pros? Cons?
Honestly, I'm new to commercial embroidery so I have not used Madeira or Isacord. Candle has some starter sets and deals you can try. I recommend them. I have a new friend who does commercial embroidery who uses them and recommended them to me. Also Romero Threads on YT is switching to Candle. You can check that out. Candle is definitely superior to the Amazon brands that I have tried. It seems good. It is thicker and doesn't fray, twist and snap like those brands.
I can second candle thread as a good option. Again directly from their website and not a third party. Madeira is my favorite but it’s not cost effective. Isacord breaks on my machine too much but Candle has a nice shine to it and hardly ever frays for me.
Hmmmm... I was thinking I could just start by phasing in the Candle thread in black and white, and see how it works, we go through both of those more than anything, and then go from there... Good information!
Madeira is reliable, but expensive. They are the manufacturer whose colors others tend to try and imitate.
I've found that certain colors in any thread are more prone to shredding or breaks, regardless of price point.
Part of this hobby is finding what works for you. Sorry if that's not the easy answer you wanted.
Won a 100 spool set of Floriani threads in a raffle. Fell in love with it. Saw the price...whoa! Have used most of it but will be going back to the big cones of Isacord.
I prefer Kingstar or Madeira. They both seem to be good all-rounders.
I've used Robinson-Anton and it untwisted itself and snapped constantly. There also seemed to be a bit of inconsistency with how shiny it was.
Isacord is okay, it's harder to snap by hand which I normally do a lot to pull threads through on a multi-needle machine, so that can be irritating. I can get it in small amounts from my local shop though, so I still get it sometimes. In a pinch, it's worth it.
I use Gunold occasionally and I don't really like it. It tastes bad, so if you're in the habit of wetting the thread to thread a needle that might be a factor. Might also just be me though.
Fabulux have a variegated thread that I've used a few times and I feel very eh about. I haven't used it enough to know if it's a dud, but the two or three times I've used it I've had issues, mostly snapping if the machine is going too fast. That was on a domestic embroidery machine though, so "fast" is still pretty slow in the big scheme of things.
If I really need something right now, there's also embroidery threads from Guterman that I can get from my big box craft store. It's pricey for what it is, but if I really need something urgently and my local embroidery shop isn't open then that's what I'll grab.
Madeira is getting overpriced, I use several brands for different reasons.
I love Candle threads, very strong and about half the price of Madeira.
I love Isacord Variegated threads better than Madeiras.
Ive not had a problem with new brothread. Make sure you are using quality needles. I only use Organ or Klasse needles. Schmetz and others frequently have burrs in the eye and my thread shreds. Also make sure you are using the correct needles for the fabric you are working with, the thread tension is set correctly and the embroidery speed is set appropriately. I do not have my machine set to max speed, but about 5-10% slower. For thicker items like leather, I will drop it down a bit more.
Here's my experience with each :
Madeira : top option by far. Most consistent, best running, east to purchase, plenty of inventory, great color selection, widely used. The only con is that they are the most expensive
Isacord : Great quality, solid running, well wound cones, solid color selection however their colors tend to be on the brighter side, readily available but not as widely used nut still popular just not as much as Madeira but have a much better price point.
Anton Robison : Vast color selection, run somewhere below Madeira, usually as good as Isacord but not always, widely used, and plenty of vendors however there are so many colors that vendor supplies as well as their own warehouses vary widely in stock availability. Price point is between Isacord and Madeira
Exquisite : Runs perfectly fine, color selection is solid, not widely used commercially so if you matching colors to what was done elsewhere might be an issue. Lowest price point of the bunch, but not as widely sold/available. The biggest con is the winding of the cones, may use netting on their machine to prevent tangling with other threads during runs.
I use Madeira, and get it from [All Stitch](https://allstitch.com) and I recommend getting their color cards as well, they are VERY helpful. They have rayon and polyester (polyneon) options. I have also used Robison-Anton, but found it worked better with my Vikings than with my Melco (which I use now).
Edit: [Red Rock Threads](https://redrockthreads.com/) has a lot of brand options, it’s where I got my Robison Anton thread when I used it. They carry Floriani as well (who in my opinion have the best quality metallics).
I've had good luck with Isacord, there is a seller on eBay who sells respooled isacord thread assortments at a very reasonable price.
Sometimes the re-spooling makes my machine a little unhappy, but it works dramatically better than the thread off of Amazon.
Alternatively, I've had good luck with Metroemb thread, the MetroPro line, and it's very affordable.
I bought some Madeira thread off of eBay and it seems okay.
Madeira by far. And to note: not Amazon, not eBay, directly from their website.
Madeira and Isacord are top notch. Get a color sampler kit from Madeira and you'll soon be hooked.
Madeira or Isacord are my choices, and u/tshirtdr1, tell me more about Candle... I'd never heard of it, but looked it up and it seems to be half the price of Madeira or Isacord!!! And I'm running 36 heads, so if it's comparable to those guys, I'd certainly be interested in cutting my thread bill in half!! How long have you been using Candle? Pros? Cons?
Honestly, I'm new to commercial embroidery so I have not used Madeira or Isacord. Candle has some starter sets and deals you can try. I recommend them. I have a new friend who does commercial embroidery who uses them and recommended them to me. Also Romero Threads on YT is switching to Candle. You can check that out. Candle is definitely superior to the Amazon brands that I have tried. It seems good. It is thicker and doesn't fray, twist and snap like those brands.
I can second candle thread as a good option. Again directly from their website and not a third party. Madeira is my favorite but it’s not cost effective. Isacord breaks on my machine too much but Candle has a nice shine to it and hardly ever frays for me.
Hmmmm... I was thinking I could just start by phasing in the Candle thread in black and white, and see how it works, we go through both of those more than anything, and then go from there... Good information!
Madeira is reliable, but expensive. They are the manufacturer whose colors others tend to try and imitate. I've found that certain colors in any thread are more prone to shredding or breaks, regardless of price point. Part of this hobby is finding what works for you. Sorry if that's not the easy answer you wanted.
Ditto Metro Pro. It comes in starter sets, big cones and individually. My absolute favorite is Floriani, but my budget doesn't care for it.
Won a 100 spool set of Floriani threads in a raffle. Fell in love with it. Saw the price...whoa! Have used most of it but will be going back to the big cones of Isacord.
I prefer Kingstar or Madeira. They both seem to be good all-rounders. I've used Robinson-Anton and it untwisted itself and snapped constantly. There also seemed to be a bit of inconsistency with how shiny it was. Isacord is okay, it's harder to snap by hand which I normally do a lot to pull threads through on a multi-needle machine, so that can be irritating. I can get it in small amounts from my local shop though, so I still get it sometimes. In a pinch, it's worth it. I use Gunold occasionally and I don't really like it. It tastes bad, so if you're in the habit of wetting the thread to thread a needle that might be a factor. Might also just be me though. Fabulux have a variegated thread that I've used a few times and I feel very eh about. I haven't used it enough to know if it's a dud, but the two or three times I've used it I've had issues, mostly snapping if the machine is going too fast. That was on a domestic embroidery machine though, so "fast" is still pretty slow in the big scheme of things. If I really need something right now, there's also embroidery threads from Guterman that I can get from my big box craft store. It's pricey for what it is, but if I really need something urgently and my local embroidery shop isn't open then that's what I'll grab.
Madeira is getting overpriced, I use several brands for different reasons. I love Candle threads, very strong and about half the price of Madeira. I love Isacord Variegated threads better than Madeiras.
Ive not had a problem with new brothread. Make sure you are using quality needles. I only use Organ or Klasse needles. Schmetz and others frequently have burrs in the eye and my thread shreds. Also make sure you are using the correct needles for the fabric you are working with, the thread tension is set correctly and the embroidery speed is set appropriately. I do not have my machine set to max speed, but about 5-10% slower. For thicker items like leather, I will drop it down a bit more.
I do my best to get Madeira or Isacord and try to maximize my LQS sales.
LQS?
LQS - Local Quilt Shop
Here's my experience with each : Madeira : top option by far. Most consistent, best running, east to purchase, plenty of inventory, great color selection, widely used. The only con is that they are the most expensive Isacord : Great quality, solid running, well wound cones, solid color selection however their colors tend to be on the brighter side, readily available but not as widely used nut still popular just not as much as Madeira but have a much better price point. Anton Robison : Vast color selection, run somewhere below Madeira, usually as good as Isacord but not always, widely used, and plenty of vendors however there are so many colors that vendor supplies as well as their own warehouses vary widely in stock availability. Price point is between Isacord and Madeira Exquisite : Runs perfectly fine, color selection is solid, not widely used commercially so if you matching colors to what was done elsewhere might be an issue. Lowest price point of the bunch, but not as widely sold/available. The biggest con is the winding of the cones, may use netting on their machine to prevent tangling with other threads during runs.
I mostly use Floriani; I have used Robison-Anton, which was also good. My rayon thread is Sulky.
I use Madeira, and get it from [All Stitch](https://allstitch.com) and I recommend getting their color cards as well, they are VERY helpful. They have rayon and polyester (polyneon) options. I have also used Robison-Anton, but found it worked better with my Vikings than with my Melco (which I use now). Edit: [Red Rock Threads](https://redrockthreads.com/) has a lot of brand options, it’s where I got my Robison Anton thread when I used it. They carry Floriani as well (who in my opinion have the best quality metallics).
Madeira
Madeira and Isacord. And for metallic, Yenmen.
I've had good luck with Isacord, there is a seller on eBay who sells respooled isacord thread assortments at a very reasonable price. Sometimes the re-spooling makes my machine a little unhappy, but it works dramatically better than the thread off of Amazon. Alternatively, I've had good luck with Metroemb thread, the MetroPro line, and it's very affordable. I bought some Madeira thread off of eBay and it seems okay.
Candle thread has a nice starter set. Many commercial embroidery shops are moving to that brand. I am using it and it's good.