A journeyman in Spokane called me out on my wire pulling method

About three years ago, I was pulling 4/0 aluminum for a feeder. I was using my old way, just soap and muscle. The guy I was working with said, 'You're fighting it. Let the lube do the work and feed it smooth.' He showed me how to apply the lube more evenly and keep the wire straight off the reel. I changed my grip and slowed down. Now every pull goes easier with less strain on the wire. Anyone have a favorite brand of wire lube they stick with?

I thought the $400 cordless framing nailer was a waste. Used it on a garage build last month.

Changed my mind completely. Lighter than my old pneumatic. No hose to drag. Battery lasted all day. Did the whole roof sheathing without a single trip to the compressor. What cordless tools actually save you time on site?

My friend in Denver still writes checks for his rent and it's making me nervous

He mailed one last week and it got lost, so his landlord called asking where the payment was. I keep telling him to set up a direct bank transfer or use his bank's online bill pay, but he says he likes the paper trail. Has anyone else had to convince someone to move away from checks for regular bills?

Shoutout to the guy at the parts counter who changed my mind about thermal fuses

I was picking up a new thermal fuse for a dryer at the local supply house in Springfield. The older guy behind the counter, Mike, asked which one I needed. I said the usual, the one that always blows when the vent is clogged. He just shook his head and said, 'You know, that part isn't a failure, it's a report. It's telling you the story of what went wrong upstream.' That hit me different. I'd been treating it like a bad light bulb for years, just a thing to swap. He made me see it as the last piece of a chain. Now I spend the extra five minutes checking the whole airflow path, not just the fuse. It's made callbacks way less common. How do you guys approach a blown thermal fuse, do you just replace it or do a full check every time?

Finally got a clean seam on that 70s shag in a Denver split-level after the pad shifted on me

Spent $40 on a Japanese pull saw for a tricky cutout

It was for a cabinet face frame and the thin kerf made a huge difference, no tear-out at all. Anyone have a favorite blade for their pull saws?

Heard a guy at the supply house say 'wire nuts are wire nuts, just crank them tight'

That's how you get callbacks for flickering lights or melted connections. I've seen a 15 amp circuit fail in a month from that. What's the worst hack advice you've ever heard someone give?