That "saved us a ton of headaches" part is so true. We switched to a pricier coolant for our old lathe and the tool life went way up. Stopped the constant adjustments.

Oh man, my cat got stuck in a neighbor's garage once. I started leaving a trail of his favorite treats back to our door and it actually worked. What treats does Baxter go crazy for?

My buddy had the same choice for his tapas spot. He went salamander and ended up using a couple big cast irons on the burners for flat top work. Says he still wonders if he picked wrong.

Spice jar gang for life.

Ouch, that's a rough one. I trust the refractometer, but I also make a habit of checking it by feel. If the coolant doesn't feel slippery enough between your fingers, it's definitely time for a test.