@ward.mason is right, at this rate my dollar store screwdriver will retire before I do.

I had the same problem when I first started out, I kept trying to power stretch everything and ended up fighting wrinkles for way too long. Then an old timer told me to use the knee kicker to set the center line first and work out from there, it was like night and day. Now I always do that quick center pass before breaking out the power stretcher, cuts my time in half on most rooms. That one little step makes the carpet lie flat and grab the tack strip way better.

Wait, did you prep the area right before you put the patch on? I read somewhere that if you don't rough up the surface and clean it with alcohol real good, even the expensive stuff won't stick... I've heard from a few guys online that those big brand patch kits are mostly just marketing hype. They use the same basic rubber cement that you can buy at a hardware store for a fraction of the price... Your old diver buddy is probably right. Aquaseal and a scrap of neoprene is the old school way that's worked for decades... Maybe those $200 kits are meant for big tears or special materials, not just a simple pinhole. Seems like overkill for what you needed.

Not really convinced that's a reliable pattern. One time savings doesn't mean it works every time.

Mine exploded while I was still half asleep and I honestly thought I was being attacked for a second. Just standing there in my underwear covered in coffee grounds questioning my life choices. Switched to a stainless steel one from Frieling and it's survived me dropping it twice so far. Guess I'll find out if it can handle a third.