You said "Took me 4 tries to admit LIDAR is better than ground survey" but it's not really about admitting one is better than the other. LIDAR still needs ground truthing to verify what it picks up, especially in thick woods where canopy cover can mess with the readings. I've had sites near the upper Cowlitz where LIDAR showed clear features that turned out to be just root wads and elk trails when we walked them.

Did I hear someone say "crunchy bark" or was that just my smoker judging me again?

Buddy bought one and it exploded on his first stainless job.

Ray torquing would've saved you that headache?

Honestly I had a client once who tried to clean her reusable blade with alcohol and a lighter and almost set her station on fire. So yeah, disposables are probably a solid upgrade.