Guilty as charged, I once spent a whole afternoon fighting with my old beater knife on some RG6 before a buddy handed me a proper coax stripper. My pride took a hit but that clean jacket was worth every second of embarrassment. Your mileage may vary but sometimes the right tool just saves your sanity.

Oh man, that "red mark across my client's forehead" part hits close to home. I mean I had almost the exact same thing happen with one of those flexible LED masks like three weeks ago. The adhesive just gave up halfway through and slid right down her face. It's super frustrating because those masks are supposed to be the gentle upgrade but the straps are total garbage. I ended up just switching back to the old rigid mask with the headband because at least that stays put. idk maybe the flexible design is just too lightweight to hold itself in place for a full session.

Yeah but I gotta push back a little on the "big agency" thing. A $2,500 regional marketing place isn't exactly a big name, that's still pretty small compared to real national firms (which would be way higher). The freelancer sounds like she did great work for your area though, and $500 for that kind of result is a steal no matter how you slice it.

Yeah @harperschmidt nailed it, that hidden crush line under the harness is a nightmare.

Oh man, I've been there more times than I can count. The thing is, they usually come in already convinced because a friend or some Instagram guru told them it's the magic bullet, so anything I say sounds like I'm just trying to upsell them or protect my ego. I've found the only way to get through is to stop saying "that won't work" and instead ask them really specific questions about what they think will happen, like "okay, if we do that, what do you see being different in a month?" (it forces them to think it through themselves). Then I'll follow up with "here's what I've seen happen with that approach in the past, and here's why it usually goes sideways" - not arguing, just laying out the evidence. Even then, some people just have to learn the hard way (especially the ones whose friends are really pushing it), and I've learned to just let them waste their money and come back humbled later. It's frustrating, but I've stopped trying to save everyone from themselves and focus on the ones who actually listen.