A 30-year sweep in Portland told me my brush was too stiff and it changed my whole routine
I use a poly brush on most flues and always figured stiffer was better for creosote. A guy who runs a two-man crew out of Portland watched me work a clay liner at a job near his route and told me flat out that my brush was scuffing the glaze and leaving more behind, not less. He handed me his softer brush and showed me how it rode the corrugation instead of fighting it, and the rods went up easier with less soot clouding the room. I switched to a medium poly for everyday liners about 3 weeks ago and my finish pass takes maybe 5 minutes less per house. My drop cloths stay cleaner too, which the homeowners notice before I even pack up. Curious what you all run on older clay tile, do you keep a soft one just for worn liners?
Man, that glaze scuffing thing hits home. I've seen liners where the stiff brush took off more than it should and the tile looked chewed up after. Feels bad when you think you're doing a good job and you're really just hurting the liner and making extra work for yourself. Good on that Portland guy for stopping and showing you instead of just watching you fight it. Sounds like you had a rough go of it before the switch, glad the softer brush is treating you better.