I always figured brand names were worth the extra cost just for the quality, but hearing it put that way makes me second guess all those times I passed up the cheap stuff. Gonna start checking the price per ounce on the store brand next time instead of just grabbing whatever coupon I clipped.

Wait, you mean all those mornings I spent loading up on the breakfast bar before a tour were basically a setup for disaster? I always figured a full stomach was the way to go, but after one rough ride in Jamaica, I'm totally on board with the light breakfast plan now.

Man I gotta be honest, I was the exact same way for years. Single rod, zip tied everything together, never had a problem so I figured why change it. But then I read about how that setup can basically backfeed energy through the return path during a hit, and it clicked why some of my older jobs had weird gremlins like flickering lights or a random fried board months after a storm. I always blamed the equipment, never my own install. This post honestly got me to go back and look at my own wiring on a couple of those jobs and yeah, the senior guy is right. Now I'm splitting grounds on every new build, even if it takes an extra hour. It's one of those things where you don't see the damage until it's real bad, and by then it's too late.