The $15 ones are really just continuity testers with a speaker strapped to them, they don't actually trace anything. I had one that would beep on the wrong pair every time I got near a fluorescent light. The Fluke you got is a real tool, but watch that it's actually the model that does live wire detection. Some of the cheaper ones from that brand still just do tone and probe, they just do it with better filters. The split pair thing is exactly where the cheap ones fall apart, they can't tell you if the pair is correct or if it's just picking up bleed from the cable next to it. What model number did you land on?

A good fluid flush is nice, but that tool still can't find a hidden leak in the lines.

Well I'll be. You are not paranoid at all. I had a run of mid-90s books straight from the spinner rack and those old bags have gone yellow and brittle, and a few of the covers have that same wavy stain you described. It's like the plastic just turned to goo over the years. I switched everything over to those same photo sleeves about five years back after a long box disaster, and honestly the only thing I miss is the stiffness when you're flipping through a box. They're not as rigid, so you have to be a little more careful, but for reading copies and back issues, they work just fine. I still use Mylar for my top ten books, but for the other four hundred, the cheap sleeves do the job.

That whole "flight plan" thing hit home for me. I do the same thing, especially on Fridays and Saturdays when I know it's gonna be a zoo. It takes me an extra 15 minutes to get my station set, but once ticket times start, I'm not scrambling for that one spice or a backup of something. Total game changer, I honestly don't know why I didn't start doing it years ago.

Funny thing is, I used to be pretty careless about connectors myself. I figured if it clicked, it clicked, and that was good enough. Then I read about that hangar fire and how a loose connection basically cooked everything, and it hit me that I'd been doing it wrong for years. Now I always give each one a firm push and a little tug test, especially on anything that vibrates or gets hot. It's a small habit but it's saved me from a few sketchy situations since.