Using a lens spanner on a $15 Vivitar was what finally broke my bad habit
I used to crack every front ring loose with a rubber stopper and a prayer, and I mangled three filter threads on a beat up Vivitar last month before it clicked. A guy at the counter in Sacramento said the slot tips were slipping because I was bearing down on one side instead of walking the spanner around even, and that one sentence fixed what four years of guessing never did. What small habit did you have to unlearn before your repairs started coming out clean?