I just hit 40% less waste on my brisket trim and it's not what I expected

Everyone talks about getting the perfect shape and leaving a quarter inch of fat. I started tracking my trim weight last month and found I was throwing away almost 8 pounds per brisket. I switched to a much closer trim, aiming for an eighth inch, and my yield jumped. The surprise was that my customers actually prefer the leaner cut for their slow cooks, saying it renders cleaner. Has anyone else found that the standard trim advice leads to more waste than needed?