Why would you be proud of a bucket of mistakes? A good woodworker doesn't have a scrap pile, he has a woodstove and a plan, and that hundred pounds just means you're buying lumber to throw away. Measure right the first time and you won't need a trophy for being bad at it.

I always figured a box was a box until my kid's 3 day old stack folded under a 20 lb blanket. Now I grab from the Total Wine on 5th the same morning I build, and yeah, it really does make a difference.

That demo guy in Austin watched you for 5 minutes, which is basically nothing, and now you've rebuilt your whole swing around one comment. Slowing down the strike feels nice because the leaf looks cleaner, but it also hides flaws. A soft drop covers up a bad grip angle and a sloppy wrist, so you can't feel where the hammer actually wants to go. Those clean first pass leaves might just be you hitting softer, not hitting better.