What specific part of the tool made it finally click for you, or was it more about the workflow it replaced?

A packing gland that tight is asking for trouble, couple hundred bucks and half a shift lost sounds about right. Probably saved yourself a bigger repair down the line though, a loose gland that lets water in will eat the shaft bearings faster. Next time run it with a bit of weep and tighten gradual over a few days, that pump will thank you.

@max808 I get your point, but track saws have one big advantage that jigs don't. You can carry the saw to the work instead of the other way around. That alone makes a huge difference on bigger sheets. Clamping a straight edge perfectly every time is also harder than it looks, especially on uneven floors. So for me, the extra cost is worth the time and headache it saves.

Friend tried stacking once and said it looked worse somehow.

My buddy Dave was deep in moon landing debates until he got an iPhone.