Some time back, a friend who did not like the flex he was getting with a coated rod, when starting a new brush, switched to a Pro Shot rod for that use, and kept his coated rod for patch work. Personally, if I have an issue with starting a brush, I choke up on the rod to get it in the bore, and I never use tight patches, preferring to take the solvent into the bore, rather than leave it in the chamber. One thing that I have done for a long time, is to wipe down my rods fairly often, and I patch with short strokes, for several patches, before starting to brush. This eliminates a good deal of the abrasive material before I start brushing, so that I am only using the brush for what the patch cannot do, and the rod and brush are much cleaner during use.