Honestly a dry towel rub is not the magic trick here, the real issue is your fries were probably too thick and piled too close. I've made fries in a 5.8 quart air fryer for two years now and never once dried them, and mine come out crisp every time as long as I cut them thin and shake the basket twice. Water on the surface just turns to steam, sure, but that steam escapes right out of the basket anyway. What actually kills you is crowding, because then the steam gets trapped between the fries and they stew instead. So go ahead and keep patting them if it makes you feel better, but try a single layer first and you'll see the towel was never the thing saving you.

Nothing humbles you faster than a stripped Torx screw costing you an hour of your life.

Cheap parts are like cheap shoes. They look fine in the store and then fall apart in a month. You end up buying the good pair anyway, so you spent more in the end. Same thing happens with tools, kitchen knives, basically everything. The upfront savings is real but the fit and the headaches are not worth it.