Learned that one the hard way after designing a palette only my dog could love.

Honestly I used to think hierarchy was just design jargon but that red pen trick actually makes total sense now.

My buddy swore by a $15 harbor freight torque wrench until his engine block cracked.

The cardboard version is what ended up working best for me at my last few shows. I found that a simple tri-fold with a slot cut in the top held up better than any metal stand I ever bought, and it cost me nothing but time. My metal sign stand kept sliding off the table whenever someone walked by too fast, but the cardboard one stayed put because I put a couple of rocks in the base. Plus, when it got wet from a drink spill, I just made a new one in ten minutes instead of crying over a broken acrylic display. Sometimes the ugly stuff works because it's built to take a beating instead of just looking pretty.

Nail it right on the head. I've seen the same thing with big ticket laminators and folder gluers. Everyone thinks the newest model will fix all their problems, but half the time it just introduces new ones that the old machine never had. The cheap stuff has its own set of headaches, but at least those are predictable. You know exactly where it's going to jam or mess up, and you plan around it. The expensive junk throws curveballs at you when you least expect it. Give me a beat up machine I've used for a decade over a fancy one that needs a technician visit every month.