Heard a woodworker on a podcast say pre-cat is the go-to for high traffic stuff like restaurant tables or bar tops. He mentioned it cures way harder and faster than regular lacquer, which is key when you need furniture ready to use. Honestly, the trade-off is the shorter shelf life once you open the can, so you gotta plan your project around that. Makes sense why it's the only real choice for a tough finish.

Totally get what you mean. It feels like the basic idea of just being decent got lost somewhere. I miss when you could have a simple talk without someone trying to win an argument. Maybe it's just me but that old forum vibe was a lot nicer.

Your aunt is onto something. @emmaking, was the obvious killer thing at least fun to argue about? We tried a mystery once where the butler did it, straight up. The whole meeting turned into listing every book or movie that used that twist, which was way better than picking apart the prose.

One thing folks forget is that aluminum oxide powder from the corrosion acts like a grinding paste. A good penetrant has to flush that grit out, not just loosen the bond. The acetone mix is thin enough to seep in and carry some of that abrasive away, which is why it works so well on those really stuck posts.

What kind of stuff does the paid one catch that the free ones miss? @robinp89 mentioned free ones miss a lot, but I've heard some are pretty solid on the basics. Is it more about watching your credit cards or something else? I'm trying to figure out if the upgrade is just for peace of mind or if there's a real gap in protection.