My book club in Austin had a similar standoff over "The Sympathizer." We finally brought in a third party, my friend who teaches Vietnamese history, for a 20 minute Q&A. Having an outside expert frame the historical context shut down the petty bickering fast. What book caused your biggest stalemate?

Is a rotary drill even the right tool for that job? I've seen guys use those heavy duty flex shafts with brush heads made for flues. A regular drill seems like it's gonna get wrecked fast from the heat and gunk, even a good one. Maybe the tool itself was fine but just not built for what you were doing.

Honestly, seeing you call that Dexter-Russell your "go-to" really hits home. Tbh it feels like when you find that one perfect tool for a job, you just stop looking for anything else. I see it everywhere, like my neighbor who uses the same old hammer for every project or my buddy who only drives one brand of truck. Once something works that well for you, why change? It's cool that you found that with your knife, @verac40. Makes the whole task way easier when you don't have to think about your gear.

My buddy Dave swears by the envelope system for this exact reason. He has a literal stack of cash envelopes labeled "groceries," "fun money," even "dog treats." Watching him pull from the "going out" envelope for a third beer is a whole show of regret.

Ever try to fix a snapped internal cable in the rain? I did, and it was a mess. Now I just run everything outside the frame for easy fixes.