My uncle was a lineman for thirty years and swore by his cheap hardware store headphones. Then one stormy night his audio cut out right as the crew chief was yelling a warning about a live wire. He switched to a higher end set after that and never looked back. Sometimes the extra cost is about peace of mind when you're in a noisy, dangerous spot all day. I get the spare in the glove box idea, but for daily use I'd want the reliable one on my head.

Honestly, that's insane for a VF-2. I've heard of some older Fadals hitting 50k hours before they finally gave up the ghost. It really shows what basic maintenance and good operators can do for a machine's life.

Oh man, @miad19, that reminds me of the time I tried to cram a huge heatsink into a tiny ITX build.

Ugh, that sounds so frustrating! It's wild how a tiny tech hiccup can cause real misunderstandings between people. Do you ever just give up and call them to clear things up?

Try hiding a few cheap clay pots filled with charcoal in corners, it soaks up dampness like a sponge. I read about it in an old woodworking forum, and it saved my plane irons from pitting. Just make sure to refresh the charcoal every few months, it's way less hassle than a dehumidifier. Plus, it doesn't add to your electric bill at all.