Glue pot vs PVA brush, my opinion flipped after 6 months of commissions

I used to think a glue pot with a brush was old-school nonsense, so I did all my book cloth and endpaper work with a regular PVA bottle and a chip brush. Took on a bunch of edge-gilded journals back in March, like 12 of them for a local shop in Salem, and the paper kept bubbling up around the hinges. I switched to a heated glue pot after a guy at a book arts fair told me I was fighting the adhesive temperature, and the difference is wild. The PVA flows smoother, sets faster, and I can do a full cover without stopping to re-wet the bristles. But I know some folks swear by the bottle method for control, especially on tiny spines. Has anyone else made the jump and thought the pot was overrated, or did it click for you too?