Good for you, that thirty minute prep sounds totally worth it for that much savings.

A couple of things - thinning shears and regular shears are different tools, so that part kind of mixes apples and oranges. But I do get the bigger point about stylists moving away from scissors entirely. Those little clippers can do a lot, but they leave a totally different texture than shears especially when cutting wet hair. Theres a reason barbers and stylists used to learn how to palm a comb and glide through a wet cut with shears, it gives a cleaner line that clippers just dont match. Maybe its just faster or cheaper to use clippers now, but I wouldnt say its better.

Right on, @karenhenderson hit the nail on the head with that Behr Marquee tip. I actually saw a video from a furniture flipper on YouTube saying the same thing about using high quality wall paint on MDF with a foam roller. The cheap stuff really is like painting with glue, it just gunks up and dries weird. Sanding it down with 220 grit was the part I was dreading but it makes all the difference for that smooth factory look. Glad you got yours sorted out, nothing worse than staring at a rough desk for two weeks.

Honestly I see people acting like you committed a war crime for trying a loaf in an air fryer and it's not that deep my dude. @thomas_johnson I get that it's not IDEAL but some of us don't have the space for a full oven or just want to experiment on a Tuesday night. It's bread not rocket science, you can still eat it even if it comes out a little dense or weird shaped. Yeah rolls are better but let people fail and learn without acting like they insulted your grandmother's kitchen. You're probably right about the science but the vibe feels a little gatekeepy for something as casual as air fryer bread.

Crack a smile and tell them yeah, my seams might be tight but my wallet sure isn't after buying all that Plasti Dip. Those gatekeepers forget that foam armor is basically just hot-glued cardboard with better marketing. I'd rather have a wobbly EVA pauldron and a good time than be the guy who spends more time judging others than improving his own build.