So I've been brewing with my kalita 185 for months now. I've consistently bought great coffee to use, but I can't seem to figure out why my kalita frequently chokes and significantly slows my brew time. I've watched several videos on brewing with the kalita, and every video I watch, the kalita seems to brew fast enough to get 2:45-3min brew times. I've used the techniques in several of these videos only to run into the same problem.
I've tried different grind settings on my Encore grinder, but usually end up sticking around 19-20setting. I've tried different beans. I do pre-wet my filters.
There was, however, a brief period where I was having good consistent brew times. Then I ran out of filters, so I bought some new filters. As soon as I started using the new filters, the kalita started choking again. Are there inconsistencies with the kalita filters???
This choking issue seems to be a frequent reoccurrence with this brew method. It's driving me crazy that I can't get this to work properly when so many others never seem to have this issue. There also doesn't seem to be a definitive answer as to why this happens and people have different solutions to the problem.
Any ideas???

is your dry bed looking pretty muddy when you finish? if so, i'd work on slowing down and pouring more gently. With excessive agitation you'll typically get less predictable and longer brew times.

Also make sure your grinder isnt having issues.

Yes, in my experience the Kalita Wave is pretty sensitive to fines, and its flow rate has a tendency to slow in the second half of the brew cycle. Brew times under 3 minutes can be hard to achieve. Here are some things to look into...

1. Bed depth is key! If you're using too small of a dose, the thinner bed seems to be more prone to choking. I usually dose 25-30g of coffee in a Kalita 185. In a deeper coffee bed, fines are more likely to stay suspended instead of lining the surface of the paper.

2. Use Kalita brand filters. I get a slower flow rate from Gino filters.

3. Reduce agitation as mentioned by frank828 - i.e. lower your spout distance, don't wash down the filter sides, don't stir, etc.

4. Despite the opinions of some that Kalita filters do not need to be rinsed, I disagree. Hitting the filter with 200ml of good hot rinse water helps open up the pores of the paper and can speed up your flow in the subsequent brew.

By the way, it is not an absolute that Kalita brews should be 3 minutes or less. Pretty common to be closer to 4 minutes, which can taste excellent, provided you have dialed in your grind setting and water temperature to suit a longer extraction.

Will try these later and Thank you for the tips

p/s: I do not have Kalita, so I will try it in my Bonavita dirpper and paper filter.

IMO, ONLY Kalita filters in the 185. Also, (and I've been guilty...ONCE...haha) make sure you have only 1 filter in there. They can be a wee bit tricky to separate.
Have you cleaned your Encore in a while? You might check that. If there is some dust underneath and around the burrs, that can really alter your grind.
That grinder also like at least a 1/3 full hopper to help consistency. It's a fine grinder for the price. Eventually, you might want to see if you can find either a used Virtuoso with Preciso burrs, or a pre-owned Vario. The Vario's flat metal burr set really rocks for drip and pour-over.