Oh man, that's a good point. I'd bet the real money math is more about avoiding burnout than direct earnings spikes. Like yeah, maybe Dave didn't make $200 more that first month, but if his output dropped 40% for a few months, that's way more than $200 in lost income. Plus there's the hidden stuff - less stress means he's not impulse buying flights or getting sick as often from burning out. I've seen people save a ton just by not switching Airbnbs every few weeks because they actually want to stay in one place with a good workspace. The $200 is basically insurance against a way bigger loss.

Man that sucks but I get it completely. Same thing happened with my cousin and a thousand bucks for his "business startup." Now he posts pics of new sneakers every week and acts like I'm the bad guy for bringing it up.

Idk, I've been using a cheap click-type for like 8 years now and I've only had one issue that was probably my fault for rushing. Maybe it's just me but I feel like people overthink torque wrenches when most jobs don't need that level of precision. I've done head bolts, main caps, rod bolts on big diesels with my old Craftsman and never snapped anything. That split beam stuff is nice but spending $200+ on a tool you use once a month seems like a lot when a $60 click type works fine if you take your time and treat it right.

Man, those tapes never tell the whole story of what was happening behind the scenes.

And honestly that tracks with my math skills, which are famously bad (I once calculated a 15% tip as $3 on a $60 meal, don't ask). The thing is, $200 a year adds up over 20 years or whatever the panel lifespan is, but in the moment it feels like pocket change compared to fresh tomatoes in a food desert. I remember sitting there thinking, "Man, even if we split the lot in half, we'd get like 15 solar panels and 25 garden plots, which is still better than arguing for three hours and getting zero of either." The real hard part is getting people to agree on half a loaf when everyone came wanting the whole bakery.