Lol welcome to the dark side, we have snack breaks and less eye strain. I still pretend I'm a sub purist in public though, gotta keep up appearances.

Yeah, the boiling water through a paper filter trick is a classic backup. I've done that more than once when my old drip machine gave out. It's basically a pour-over coffee at that point, just with a kettle instead of a fancy gooseneck. The key is to get the water temperature right, not boiling hard, but right off the boil. Let it sit for thirty seconds before pouring so it doesn't scorch the grounds. The paper filter makes a huge difference too, way cleaner than a metal mesh one. If you get the grind size right, it's honestly better than most automatic machines.

Swore by the cheap stuff for years" - yep, that was my buddy Tom. He used generic hydraulic oil on a 4-stop residential elevator in Bellevue. Six months later he's getting calls about jerky movements and the car not leveling right. Had to drain the whole system, replace all the seals, and flush the valve block twice. Cost him almost as much as the original job paid. He still brings it up whenever anyone mentions oil brands.

Read someone's entire kitchen turned into a science lab. Scary stuff.

Six hours with construction adhesive on concrete? Did the homeowner at least warn you before you started, or was it a nasty surprise when you pulled the first corner?