Liquid electrical tape on jeans would probably hold up better than actual denim patches at this rate. Different kind of pinhole though, unless your shutter leaves are denim.

Works best if you clear your cookies first.

Three years on mannequins is actually pretty standard if you break down what you're really learning. @wright.drew Most people don't realize that hair doesn't just fall the same way every time, mannequins let you mess up a hundred times without anyone noticing. The real trick nobody talks about is learning how to read the texture and weight of hair as it moves, which mannequins let you do without the pressure of a real person sitting there. Plus you get to figure out your own technique for handling awkward spots like the crown or behind the ears where layers can get tricky. After a while you start noticing how different grip angles change the cut, and that muscle memory is what saves you when you're working on real heads later. It's not about being slow, it's about building a foundation so boring that when you finally touch real hair it feels like the easy part.

Oh man, that's rough. It's one of those tricks that totally makes sense until you learn the hard way why it doesn't.

Did you try sticking it in the fridge to cool the battery down... I've heard that works great until it doesn't?