Look at it this way. A sticky note under the keyboard is at least offline. It can't get hacked in a data breach like some cloud service. My uncle still does it and has never had a pet or a cleaning lady mess with it. Sometimes the low-tech fix is the safest one.

My old boss at the electrical supply house told me to never trust those things on a live wire. He said they're basically just fancy continuity testers. I keep a cheap one in my bag for tone and probe work on dead lines, but for anything hot I grab my actual voltage detector. It's a lesson you only learn once, lol.

Best money spent this year" is a pretty high bar for a fish tape.

Why do people think those cheap kits are a good idea? Honestly, I've sharpened my own blades for years with a basic stone and never had a problem. It just takes a bit of practice to get the angle right.

Man, that "warps like crazy in Michigan weather" line hit home lol. I tried to save money with wood a few years back and it turned into a full time job. I was out there with a sander and sealer every spring like some kind of deck-themed superhero, but for a losing cause. Switched to composite and it's been stupid easy. I probably spent more on deck cleaner for the old one than I should have, but now I just spray it off. Totally worth the higher starting price to get my weekends back.