Cutting them in your sleep sounds about right, my hands just do it on autopilot now.

I used to buy cheap crimpers thinking they were all the same. After ruining a pack of LC connectors with a no-name tool, I switched to a Klein Tools model. The difference was night and day. The jaws close perfectly straight every single time. I haven't had a single bad crimp since.

That 3-flute trick is solid.

What finally clicked for me after a big loss? I started setting a hard limit on how much I was willing to lose on any single project before I walked away. It forced me to be honest about sunk costs. That one rule has saved me way more than it has cost.

Sometimes you gotta risk it for the biscuit. A split crank is cheaper than a whole new setup.