I usually use MakerFarm filament, though I did bite on two cheap random filament spools from MakerGeeks. I haven't had any problem with any yet. I prefer to work with ABS, but the two random spools I got were PLA, so I got to play with it some. It made nice prints. I run 1.75mm filament. The colour I aim to use most often is either White or Natural ABS, or Clear. They all look nice on their own, and can be painted if needed.

The popping sound is usually caused by the plastic (usually ABS) absorbing moisture from the air, and it vaporizes and pops out of the plastic as it's heated. If you keep your filament spools isolated in a dry box, it'll help reduce the popping. I just read of one guy keeping his plastic under vacuum too to draw out the moisture.