Man, oil analysis is the only way to really know for sure what your engine needs.

Yeah I used to roll my eyes at cancel culture but honestly you're making a lot of sense.

My buddy Mike on a 2002 7.3 Powerstroke spent two weeks swapping ICP sensors and doing a full injector harness before he noticed the lift pump was barely humming at key on. It was making the right noise but putting out like 3 psi and his truck would start after sitting for an hour but die under load. He finally borrowed my fuel pressure gauge and it took him less than five minutes to find the real problem.

Okay so you said "most of them don't cut it" with the white noise machines and that honestly made me laugh because I feel your pain. I got one of those cheap ones off Amazon and it basically just sounds like a fan that's dying, does nothing for the bass. Which one finally worked for you though? I've been thinking about upgrading but I don't want to waste money on another dud, there's so many options and the reviews all sound fake. Also do you sleep with earplugs AND the machine or just one or the other, I'm trying to figure out if I need both.

Oh man, I gotta disagree with you there. Cheap end mills are actually a smart move if you're just learning or doing one-off projects. Spending $120 on a single tool is insane when you can get a pack of 10 for the same price and not cry if you break one. Most hobbyists don't run 80 parts, they run 3 or 4 and move on. The scrap rate you had sounds like you maybe pushed them too hard or had a setup issue, not a tool defect. Honestly, that name brand one will probably chip too if you sneeze while jogging the machine.