The quote below is from an article about transitioning to the left seat. According to the writer, if the brake application you are using is resulting in them being "grabby" with the result of too much being applied and therefore not having smooth operation, it is likely the pilots fault.
I have flown on several types and one of them seemed to be particularly "grabby" but the last couple of large Boeing products I have flown do not have this tendency at all. So is it poor pilot technique or poor design technique? Perhaps the design should so that the pilot does not even have to think about how to operate the brake smoothly, it is just done easily while concentrating on more important things at a critical time.
Do you have a preferred type or disliked type for brake operation?
Taking Left Seat - Even With Two-Person Crew - Important Career Step | Business Aviation content from Aviation Week
"Two other left seat challenges are also improved with practice: tiller steering and braking smoothness. Both issues are a result of larger aircraft size and weight, which translates into more inertia. You have a lot of mass behind and underneath you and it takes a lot of force to get it moving, to change its direction once moving, and to get it stopped again.
A nose wheel tiller translates a small movement in your wrist into a large movement of a lever positioned on the outside of a very large arc. You will have a few embarrassing moments until you realize you should not be moving that tiller with an eye towards making it move by certain amounts, say a few degrees or inches. Your aim should be to apply pressure to the tiller, not deflection. Practice on an obstacle-free ramp by smoothly applying pressure, evaluating the aircraft’s reaction, and then adjusting. Some captains figure this out on day one; others take longer.
The first time you use the brakes on a large aircraft you are likely to think they are “grabby.” They might be, but it is more likely a problem with technique. Here again you should be thinking about pressures, not brake pedal deflection. When in doubt, press the brakes as needed. But try braking earlier with just a little pressure and see how it goes. When braking after landing the brakes become more effective as they heat up. You may find that your initial brake pedal pressure results in increased braking as the landing roll continues."