Wait wait wait, you're telling me your friends just WATCH you struggle? That's WILD. I'd be throwing my stylus at them until they helped.

I mean, tightening a clamp in 30 seconds doesn't really prove much about manual tools lasting longer. I've had cheap power tools that held up for years too, it's just about how you treat them. Maybe it's just me but I've also had manual tools strip out or rust up way faster if I'm not careful. Like, I've got a manual screwdriver that broke after like two years because the handle cracked, but a cheap drill I bought at the same time still works fine. So idk, feels like it's more about the brand and quality than manual vs power.

Yeah but come on, how much filter media are we really talking about here? A couple tiny specks you probably wouldn't even notice unless you were really looking for them. I've run Wix filters on my old trucks for years and never had a problem, not even once. I think people get all worked up over stuff like this because they read one horror story online and then convince themselves it's happening to them too. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you're wrong or anything, but sometimes a little bit of debris is just part of normal break-in or wear, not a sign the whole filter is falling apart. Unless you're finding chunks big enough to clog an oil passage, I'd probably just wipe it off and move on with my day.

Yeah, the "insurance peddlers" part really gets to me. I had a buddy who joined a local hiking group last spring and the second meetup had a guy who spent the whole trail trying to sell everyone on a whole life policy. They never invited him back after that. It just ruins the whole vibe when someone shows up with an ulterior motive like that. The group he's in now asks a quick question in the signup form about what you're looking for, and that seems to filter out most of the sales types.

Right? It's like bragging about running a marathon but admitting half of it was just walking to the mailbox for junk mail. Read the room, buddy.