My cousin told me to just buy the cheap $40 smart plug, but after it bricked my lamp and fried the outlet, I'm not so sure.

He swore the generic brand was 'just as good' as the name-brand ones, but now I'm out a lamp and have to call an electrician, so has anyone actually had a good experience with those off-brand smart home gadgets or should I just stick to the reviewed stuff?

I finally figured out why my clinches were always a little off

For years I thought my hammer swing was the issue, but a client's horse in Boulder kept throwing shoes after I worked on it. The owner's kid pointed out I was holding the nail at the wrong angle before I started, which I never even thought to check. What's the most basic thing you ever missed that made a big difference?

My uncle told me to stop using a steel on my boning knives and I should have listened

He ran a shop in Spokane for 30 years and always said a ceramic rod was the only thing for a thin, flexible boning blade. I thought he was just set in his ways. I kept using my steel, and after about six months, my go-to 6-inch curved boning knife just would not hold an edge. It felt dull after breaking down two hogs. I finally bought a cheap ceramic rod he suggested, and the difference was instant. The steel was actually rounding over the fine edge on that soft steel. Now I use the ceramic for boning knives and keep the steel for my stiff cimeter and breaking knives. Anyone else run into this with their flexible blades?

Stopped using the big ladle for the last pour on a 300 pound casting.

The boss at the Toledo plant always said to use the big one for the final fill, but it kept leaving a cold shut line. I switched to two smaller ladles for the last bit and the surface came out smooth. Anyone else find the standard way of doing something here is just wrong?

Had to choose between a full tear-out or floating a new floor over old tile on a kitchen job

The client wanted vinyl plank over their old 80s tile, and I was worried about height issues at the doors if I just floated over it. I went with the tear-out, which added two days and about $400 to the quote, but the final look is rock solid. Anyone ever float over tile and regret it later?

Visited the old Cahokia Mounds site last month and the scale of it still gets me