Totally get the struggle with pastels! I mixed a dusty pink direct dye with a deep conditioner and let it sit with a shower cap for two hours while I cleaned my apartment. That extra soak time made the color stick through like six washes before it started to fade.

Yeah, the first time is always easy. The real test is when you try to do it again next week and the dough just fights you. In my experience, getting it to roll out thin enough without tearing is where most people hit a wall. It's still fun, but it's not always a simple win.

Depends on what you mean by a faster mess... because a rushed job usually means fixing mistakes later. That ends up costing more time than if you did it right the first time. Speed only saves money if the quality is still good enough. Otherwise you're just trading a small problem now for a bigger one next week.

Honestly, I have to push back on blaming the charger. A three year old battery is already well into its decline, and lithium cells can swell from age and use alone. That cheap pad likely just provided the last full charge cycle a worn out battery could take. The real issue is expecting old hardware to behave like new. Any charging method, even the original cable, might have caused the same failure given the battery's condition.

Gotta disagree with you @seanlee. Their retail side feels pretty average to me. Nothing special.