You might have answered this before, but how would you compare the C5 Mistura with the SOC Mistura? I like the handle on the SOC, but don't really want a huge blooming ball of a brush.
I have a C5 boar but not a C5 Mistura. The C3 Mistura is definitely not a blooming knot. It has stayed quite compact. It splays well for lathering, but it's not sprawling like, say, a 620 boar (which is a similarly-sized knot). The SOC Mistura, as you know, does bloom quite a bit. Interestingly, the Barbear Classico Mistura, which is the other 24mm version I have, doesn't bloom as much as the SOC. It's a nice middle ground for me, and it has become just about my favorite brush.
As for the C3, I could use it as my only brush. But I have come to enjoy the other Misturas so much that its one minor distinction feels like more of a shortcoming than it really is. It's just barely too compact in use for my preferences. Its scrubby feel almost makes up for it, as it exceeds the SOC in scrub without having any unpleasant scritch at the tips.
I hope that's a helpful comparison. All of my Misturas are absolutely wonderful.