...and that's exactly why I switched from the cheapo Harbor Freight set I'd been using for years. I figured a crimp is a crimp, but after a month of spotty connections I finally caved and got a Klein. Now I don't even think about it, just crimp and go, no second guessing.

Same thing happened to a buddy of mine last year. He crushed a seatpost clamp on his aluminum frame and it was a nightmare to fix. I feel for your friend man, it's such a dumb way to learn a lesson. @samf95 I think he just meant he tightened it until it felt "tight enough" which is basically guessing with no consistency. I totally get why you changed your tune. I use my torque wrench for everything now, even just swapping handlebars on my old beater bike. It saves so much hassle down the road.

Bite the bullet and shim every stud" sounds about right. My method is basically just swearing a lot and hoping the mud holds.