My hood has a thick steal latch. Company was recommended by HO fibertrends so I went with them and they are top notch. Plus it falls into all factory specs from a ford mold for the 00R hood. Unlike cervini
As far as me not liking them. Its a personal preference thing. Ive seen plenty of their stuff(they are only 1 hour south of me). While its OK stuff, it is way overpriced and I can find better products on the market for less money.
But again thats me. Not all share this feeling and I am sure I will hear about it. But I hope you get your issue fixed man.
Also not all that is OEM is better than aftermarket.. There is a reason that people swap out OEM parts to aftermarket companies. OEM is built to appease the masses where aftermarket is more specialized for someones tastes and applications. Also depends on the company. Granted I do buy oem for certain things.