Oh man, I've been there... left the dipstick out once and it painted the whole side of my truck. That extra second to double-check everything saves so much headache later. Never making that rush job mistake again.

Honestly, is saving 30% on one hotel night worth the risk? You could show up and they're fully booked.

That rule sounds like overkill for basic carbon steel. Plenty of guys get away with a single normalize or skip it entirely without issues. Maybe your batch had some hidden stress or uneven stock to begin with.

Felt the same about those cheap plastic parts organizers but mine are still going strong after years of abuse.

A weird win is still a win. Sounds like a good story.