Just hit 500 sweeps in 18 months and I'm split on what that means

Some guys say volume is how you get good fast, but I'm also noticing my brush wear is way higher than older guys who do half that many. Do you think pushing numbers like that builds bad habits, or is it the only way to really learn the trade?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby_jones1mo ago

Are you feeling the burn out yet? I pushed hard like that my first couple years and honestly it built some sloppy habits I had to unlearn later. Speed makes you confident but not always clean, and that brush wear is a real signal you're probably fighting the work instead of flowing with it. What worked for me was backing off to a more sustainable pace while really focusing on my angles and pressure - the quality went up and my tools stopped dying every three months. You can still hit big numbers but you gotta be smart about it, not just fast. Maybe try recording yourself and see where you're wasting motion.

olivia_moore1mo ago

Ugh yeah that brush wear hit me hard too. I started tracking my angles with a cheap phone stand and realized I was overcompensating with wrist flicks instead of using my shoulder. Slowing down to 70% speed for a week fixed my tool life entirely and my numbers actually went up by the end of the month.