Oh man, it's not even the crimpers half the time. You sure they're using the right size pins for the wire? Seen that mess up more connections than a bad tool.

That's rough, but honestly I'd just carry a spare set of those common plastic knobs now lol. Seems like the kind of thing that's bound to wear out.

That "exact change in a jar" thing is a whole mood. My version is a coffee can of fives for taco truck runs, but last month I accidentally used it to buy a weird garden gnome at 2 am. My budget did not feel respected.

Have you tried the carbide grit scraper blades for that? They're a total game changer for tile mastic, they don't get clogged up like the regular ones do. I went through three standard blades on one bathroom floor before I switched. The grit blade just powered through and saved my arms.

Man, I wouldn't call that a waste. Your process found the problem, even if the source was silly. A solid apprentice is the one who spots the simple stuff you're too deep to see. That's a win, not a goof.