So did the air pocket actually ruin the crust texture, or was it just a visual thing that made you crazy? lol

Hate when that happens, man. Cheap wire is a gamble every time and it always bites you on the worst possible job.

Guess the matrix has really good job security for bosses.

Ugh, I feel your pain so much on this one. I did the exact same thing last year with a mystery grab bag of tapes and I swear half of them looked like someone had printed the patterns on printer paper. You really do get what you pay for with that stuff and it sucks when you think you're being smart with your money. The worst part is knowing you could've gotten maybe 4 or 5 really nice tapes from a shop where you can actually feel the texture first. I've learned the hard way that the cheap bundles just end up being donation box filler or drawer clutter. Now I'm pretty strict with myself, I only buy singles or small curated sets from brands I already trust. It hurts the wallet a bit more upfront but at least I'm actually using what I buy.

damn that's wild! honestly same thing happened to me once on reddit. spent forever going back and forth then someone dropped the full pic and i was like oh no. it's humbling but now i always ask for the og context before i pick a side.