The brush or the rope and weight, and I went with the brush in 2008
Back around 2008 I had a decision to make on a job in Worcester, a big old colonial with a chimney that ran up the middle of the house and turned twice before it hit the roof. My old boss let me borrow his gear, and I could take either his heavy poly brush set with the rods or his rope and weight setup with the old iron ball. I picked the brush because it felt safer in my hands, and I spent almost four hours in that parlor with dust in my eyes and my arms shaking before I quit for the day. The sweep down the road did the same flue in about 50 minutes with the rope and ball, and when I saw his pile of soot I just stood there. I still carry that brush on my truck, mostly out of habit and because it works fine on straight runs, but I've been meaning to learn the rope setup proper ever since. Anyone on here made the switch later on in their career and actually stuck with it, or does the brush just win out for you too?