@norab21 said it's not that serious, but that 40% savings rate is just extreme.

Those pages slid right out of the spine on a copy of Dune" sounds like the book staged a mutiny against you for using cheap glue. I bet Paul Atreides would have some choice words about that kind of shortcut. Just glad your next attempt won't be a total sandworm of a disaster.

Honestly, my mom had the exact same issue with a bendy lamp she got for her crossword puzzles. She finally gave up after the third one stopped working and just started using the overhead light in the living room. But then she found a cheap little desktop lamp at a thrift store for like five bucks, the kind with a solid metal shade and a proper on/off switch. That thing has lasted her years and the light is way more focused and steady. So yeah, skip the gimmicky stuff and just get a simple, sturdy lamp. It's the boring stuff that actually works.

I mean idk, maybe it's just me but I'd argue hourly is actually fairer for everyone in the long run. Like yeah you lose money on quick jobs but you also make way more on the complicated ones that drag out. A $200 flat rate for 45 minutes probably feels like a rip-off to that guy, but if you hit a seized bolt or a wiring mess that takes 3 hours, you'd be losing your shirt. Hourly at least keeps it honest and customers know exactly what they're getting into upfront.

...and honestly, my buddy made his own stand out of stacked 4x4s and some lag bolts, it's been solid for four years now. He just drilled it straight into a heavy section of his concrete floor and bolted the anvil down with big washers. Tbh, $80 for a marketplace stand that can't even handle a first hit sounds like a total waste compared to that.