The pocket scale I ignored for 2 years finally got me to weigh my beans

Last week I was dialing in a new bag from a local roaster in Portland and my shots were all over the place, sour one day, bitter the next. I kept blaming the grinder or the weather, but my buddy who baristas on the weekend pointed out I was just eyeballing the 18 grams I thought I was dosing. I dug out the cheap pocket scale I bought for $12 back in 2023 and actually used it for three mornings straight. Turns out I was off by 3 or 4 grams every single time, which explains why my espresso tasted like a coin flip. Has anyone else found that measuring by weight fixed their consistency more than any expensive gear upgrade?