I've now tried all of these except Harbor Dreams and they are just fantastic. So happy to have these in regular production. Also happy that Per has a place he can work his magic. They will have a place in my cellar and regular rotation.
Watch City Deluxe Crumb cut (very similar cut) is a fantastic option. Rubbing the cubes out or smashing some of them as mentioned above usually helps get things going.
Probably depends on your taste buds... I've never seen the need to break in a briar. Tastes great from the get-go. Cobs, though, have a sour taste to me at the beginning. After maybe 10 smokes they're good to go.