Did he ever mention that tripod before you went out, or did that come up after you told him the shots were blurry? Because every time I get advice like that, the missing key detail always pops out right after I fail, like a surprise twist in a bad movie. My buddy told me to lower my ISO for sharper night shots, then admitted he had a lens that cost more than my car. What was his reaction when you told him about the tripod, did he act like it was obvious or did he at least feel bad about it?

Wait, how many warranty claims were you actually seeing before you switched back? I'm curious if it was a slow build of small stuff or one big failure that tipped you over. Because in my experience, the stripped bolts and cracked clamps usually show up months after the initial install, so it's hard to track back to "feel" unless you keep notes. I had a buddy who torqued by feel for years and only realized his issue when he snapped a brake lever bolt on a carbon bar mid-ride, not during a test. Did keeping a torque wrench around actually change your repair process, or did it just make you slower on the simple jobs like stem swaps?