I'd never used B&W film that wasn't Kodak until I came back after a 15 year hiatus in 2003. I had a 9x12 Patent Etui and the only 9x12 films I could find in B&W even then were Foma and Ilford -- and Foma was much less expensive. However, I know Foma has been around for roundly a century, and their film is the best bargain in the business. Some folks hate it due to defects, but I've never seen on on my own Foma films. If you really don't like Foma, Kentmere is similarly priced and made by Harman (Ilford's parent company), but I have lots of good experience with Foma 100 and 400 and almost none with Kentmere to date.