I just recently tried the brine. Brine is a faster quench than plain water, but yet is less violent. I was getting occassional cracks with the water quench, but none since I went to the brine. Of course, with 1095, it is always a bit of a gamble. The difference between the two is that the salt disperses the vapor jacket pretty much immediately allowing a faster but more even contact with the water, thus a more even cooling effect. I heat the brine to 130°, and if I remember right, it is a 9% solution. When the steel goes into the brine, there is none of the loud poping and crackleing noise, just a heavy sizzle.