ok first off i have managed a smoke shop for several years so know quite a bit about tobaccoo. There are many different strengths of ryo just like reg cigarettes and there are still the same amount of chemicals in some ryo.

ones with no chemicals of course are going to be smoother depending on strength and brand but equally not as harsh...especially since they are fresher than your prepacked friends and the tobacco is even slightly damp/moist.
you need to factor in the papers as well bambu or rice papers or any other natural brand is the kind you should use since they as well put chemicals in the paper!

whenever you switch to a different brand or kind of tobaccoo there are many different factors of why you have the health things happening to you.
yes some company ryo are a lot smoother in texture they are easier to smoke they don't hurt your throat and a lot of times it's like you don't even know you are inhaling smoke ( i can share the brand i used to smoke if you want)
i never used filters in my ryo didn't need one. it is also nice becasue you can roll the size you want which is usually typically smaller than a prepacked one...unless you have a machine....there are also many prepacked smokes that are nust straight tobaccoo that are similair if you don't feel like rolling.
my personal beliefs i don't think there is anything wrong with straight tobaccoo, and have read many research papers and so on but we are not getting into that.
i personally don't smoke anymore but i do cigars
if you want to talk more or explain things you can massage me don't want to start any cravings up in these smoking cessastion rooms for people