See, I'm gonna be the contrarian here because I've been loading rolls for like fifteen years now and I never skip frames. I just make sure my bulk loader isn't junk and I wind slow and steady. The tearing issue is usually from cheap plastic spools or loading in a dusty room, not from frame spacing. If anything, those blank frames just waste shots and force you to buy more film, which is exactly what the film companies want you to do. Honestly, your uncle probably had a faulty loader back in the day and just blamed the sprockets instead of the real problem. I'll take 38 usable frames over 24 with gaps any day.

Paperclip is now a permanent part of the parts bin, honestly better than half the stuff I buy. Had a DVD player held together with a twist tie for two years and it outlived the TV it was hooked to.

The "cheapest quote wins" trap is basically a rite of passage in construction, we've all been there. My rule now is if their bid is more than 15% under everyone else, I ask them to walk me through the numbers line by line and watch how fast they get squirmy.