I am always wary of using "cheap" thread because of the lint it causes and also because my machine doesn't seem to like it. Nothing worse than skipped stitches and having to stop what I'm doing every couple minutes to rethread the needle because the thread broke again. Variegated cotton thread is usually quite expensive, for a spool half the size at a box store you will likely pay close to $10, maybe even more. So I bought this thread with low expectations based on the price alone but I was pleasantly surprised.First of all, it's gorgeous thread and it looks amazing when quilted on black fabric. I used the carnival color (blue, yellow, red, green) for a children's quilt, and the end result was better than I ever expected, it made the quilting pattern really pop. There were NO skipped threads (yay!!) and I experienced minimal breakage, it's really about the same as the name brands I typically use as far as that goes. You're bound to break a thread here and there no matter what, but it happens rarely. I have no complaints whatsoever about the strength.Lint also isn't as bad as I was expecting. I haven't had to clean my machine anymore than usual. Overall this thread is a great value for beautiful variegated colors on a budget.