Does anyone use Paynes gray?

I find it quite useful in cast shadows, and some reflections.

It must be used judiciously, as it tends to shout. I had the greatest tube of Paynes with just the right, not-too-blue balance. When I finished it, I tossed it, and when I went to buy more, couldn't remember the brand. I've since purchased two different brands, and none are near as satisfying as that first unidentified tube!

Do you find yourselves loyal to a particular brand of paint across the spectrum, or do you have to trial-and-error each color with each manufacturer to find a favorite?

Regards,
David

Thanks for your thoughts, John, Chris and David. You've given me a lot of information to absorb, and now I'm thinking of checking out Payne's gray, which I've never used. I just finished reading one of Helen Van Wyk's books, (I read here recently that she has died, and I'm bummed out) where she describes painting an undercoat of a shadowed area in gray (made by mixing white and black). Next she painted over that with a thin mixture of Burnt Umber and Light Red (a glazing). She says it creates a lovely, luminous quality, and in her portrait, I have to agree.

Is it this kind of glazing over a dark suface, and also a light surface, that can create a complex texture to skin? I have never tried glazing.