Apart from housings being lined or not, I don't seem to note much difference from one set to another. Those that are ridiculously inexpensive usually aren't lined, so I try to stay away from those. Apart from that I'll use anything that comes my way.
Jagwire is OK, Shimano bundles are also OK. Nothing wrong with BBB generic parts either.
Some use stainless, which is both nice and a pain.
It's a pain because sealing the cut end well is difficult, which can come back and bite you if you ever need to reinstall the cable.
It's nice, because a SS wire will remain shinier, and will "never" seize in its housing the way a regular steel cable can.

Brake housing can very well be cut with regular pliers, if you take the time to trim the end, if needed. Compressionless / shifter housing tends to get more mashed up. Cables tend to fray if cut with a regular plier.
Both housing and cables can be cut very nicely with a Dremel, but it takes a bit longer.