Tbh that story hits close to home because my first mentor was the opposite, he trusted torque wrenches so much he once told me lockwire was for people who couldn't read a spec sheet. Took me three stripped threads on an oil cooler line to realize he never checked his own calibration. Now I'm the guy who does both, torques it, drills it, wires it, and still wakes up at 3am wondering if the nut is gonna spin off. Honestly the only thing I learned for sure is that mentors are just people who have been wrong in more interesting ways than you have.

Question if wasting twenty minutes saves eight bucks is really worth it...

That old float outlasting three handles is no joke. I read somewhere that the aluminum alloy they used back then was denser, less recycled garbage mixed in. My uncle in Arizona still swears by a bull float from the early 90s, says the new ones flex too much and leave wavy lines. It's kind of wild to trust a tool older than most of your crew, but honestly, that thing has proven itself. The fact it's still flat and true after all those years says more than any new one you could buy today.

Did you try rewriting the whole post and seeing how it felt?

Most those old washers didn't even have a spin cycle that could get your jeans dry.