Exactly, that's the whole point. They're basic tools that just work when you need them. Not everything has to be a super steel tactical folder. I bet @stellanelson has never actually carried one for a week. Try batoning a bit of wood with your fancy flipper knife and see what happens. The Barlow's strength is in its simple, thick build. It's for doing real jobs, not sitting in a case.

Honestly that full minute of stirring is just to get rid of dry flour pockets. It never messed with my starter either.

Ever see a kid trace a picture and then color it in crazy? My uncle called that cheating, but the kid still made something new. Your brother's take feels like that old argument. The tool changes, but people still fight over who gets the credit. Makes you wonder if we just get stuck on the word "artist" instead of looking at the thing that got made.

Totally see that with old cars and weird electrical gremlins too.

Absolutely. My old landlord used to hack everything back to stubs every fall. The trees were just weak, spindly messes. Once he stopped and we did some proper thinning, the difference in just two seasons was crazy. The branches actually looked sturdy and stopped snapping off in every storm.