Maybe I'm not fussy enough but I've always bought Jagwire or Shimano's stainless steel cables and bulk housings for both brake and shifter use and never had any problems with either performance or durability. The only exception was the Campy housing and cables that came OEM with my Chorus 10-speed group. They worked well but when they wore out, I replaced them with Jagwire double-end shift cables and cut off the Shimano end.