Bigger size is usually better. Unfortunately an encoding is only as good as the person who did it. There’s any number of filtering or higher quality settings that can be used. But people often avoid to save time. So you’re better off to find groups or individuals who is work you like. And sticking with that. On Modern CPUs you can rip through high def video faster than real-time speed if you set the quality low enough. And the bitrate High enough. But an experienced encoder knows the combination of filtering and settings to use to bring out the maximum visual quality with minimal file size. And when it comes to that I tend to do all my own encodings.