The Whiting is far from 2nd rate and there are other fine suppliers around. 2 suggestions would be to try and find a bronze cape. It is the same quality, just going to tye less flies than silver or gold. That's Whiting's grading. If you just want to tie dries in the 16-24 range, go with a Whiting saddle in cree. The bronze will last you about 1500-2000 flies. If not, you can try Denny Conrad as well. He as much an expert as I've ever seen and has taught me more than I deserve to know about hackle breeding.