I am feeling you. my LBS sells black housing for $1 a foot. I am starting to regret the vanity of purchasing an interesting color if the quality is not there.

here is my stance: it should not friggin matter which ferrule you use - if it comes down to such then the margins for error on your housing is way too lean and you are just cutting corners to make a $ at the riders expense. you won't get my business again with that sort of practice.