some talk here about many users encountering the ‘dead zone’ on the EV30. And some who don’t, so who knows?
I like the Hotone Ampero Press II. Small but sturdy. Some find the switch useful, others not so much.
In a pinch, to get a smoother swell I’ve found you can put 2 vol blocks in a row and set one to linear curve response and the other to Log. Try that and see if it feels any smoother before you buy a whole new pedal. You can also tie in the amp vol or levels on other fx blocks so they all swell together- this can help smooth out the feel.