john lucas
Like you I've played with a lot of different tool grinds. I think the most important part of the skew is what you are doing right now. Practice practice practice. Personally I think the sharpness angle of the skew is what makes them different to use, not the actually shape of the edge. I find a 35 degree angle measured from bevel to bevel the easiest to use.
When I've been turning a lot a 25 is good but I still get catches when turning beads if I haven't been using it a lot. I thing the reason is it cuts so fast you tend to over rotate the tool and come off the bevel, and of course a catch happens. You have to make yourself slow down and let the tool do the work.
45 degree and thicker has 2 problems. One is the bevel is too short which makes it harder to stay in control. It is handy for cutting coves and better than a long bevel. The other problem is how far you have to move the handle when cutting beads. A sharper angle tool requires less movement of the handle which makes it easier to control on beads with the exception noted on the 25 degree angle.
This is of course just my opinion and your mileage may vary.
Cutting beads with the Drozda tool will duplicate my problems with short bevels on the skew. You use it like a spindle gouge but you have to move the tool quite a bit more unless the grind is much sharper. Try regrinding it so it looks more like a spindle gouge and less like a scraper. I've never seen her tool in person so I don't know the grind she uses. I have seen her work so she obviously knows how to use what ever it is.