Sounds like you made that job way harder than it needed to be. A good inspector with a proper camera would have spotted that liner collapse before you even went up on the roof. Sometimes the old school way just wastes a client's time and money, don't you think?

Hostile" is a strong word for keeping public spaces clean and safe.

Wait, a 1970s building? That wiring must have been ancient. I can't even imagine the mess they had to sort through. It really does sound like stepping into another world.

Feel your pain on a deep level. That exact thing happened to me with a cheap pair from a hardware chain. It's so frustrating to waste money AND time on tools that can't do one simple job. You really do get what you pay for with stuff like this. Saving a few bucks upfront just costs you more later.

Honestly, that professor's take is giving "I can't cook so I blame the stove." My own color choices used to be a mess, all muddy and low contrast. I had to really learn how saturation and value work separately. You can totally have a bright, fun color that's still dark enough or light enough to stand out clearly against its background. It just takes more tries in the color picker, sliding those little bars around forever.