Man, I feel your pain. I tried to hang a shelf on my old basement wall with a regular drill and it was a total nightmare. The bit just spun and made a shiny spot on the brick. I finally bought a cheap rotary hammer drill from the hardware store, and it changed everything. It punches right through with almost no pressure. What size bit were you using for that panel?

My buddy did that with wire nuts once, just to see, and his total was insane. He had over five thousand from a few big apartment re-wires. It really does sneak up on you when you just do the work day to day.

That's a massive difference in cost. Did the contractor's quote include materials, or was that just for labor?

Actually saw a video where a mechanic was showing how to do it. He used a feeler gauge for the initial gap, but then had to use a special meter to check the actual spring tension. The gauge just gets you in the ballpark. It seems like the final setting is way more about the spring pressure than the physical gap. Makes sense when you think about how a governor actually works with centrifugal force.

Know that feeling exactly. My bank statement after buying all that meat and fuel looks like a crime scene. Makes you wonder what normal people spend their money on.