Ever felt that frantic urge to overplan and it just backfires? Totally get what you mean, @lisa578, keeping it simple is usually smarter.

Those marks are actually pretty reliable if you know how to read them right. Sounds like you might have had a stiff link or some other problem causing the skip, not just stretch. A chain checker tool can give false readings too if it's not used perfectly. Sometimes the simple way is still the best way, you just gotta get a feel for it.

Wait, do we actually miss the feel or just the idea of it? Some of those old tools were straight up frustrating, @oscarw17. Like, the results were cool but the process could be a total pain. New stuff gets the job done without the hassle, and that's a win for me. I get the nostalgia but I wouldn't go back.