You're right that spacing matters but saying you "skipped the baking powder trick" like it was optional is a bit off. Spacing stops the wings from steaming each other, which gets you crisp skin, but baking powder changes the surface so it gets that bubbly, glassy crunch even when things aren't perfect. Do both and you'll never go back, trust me on that one.

Man that mirror moment hits hard. I worked at a shop in Toledo for a couple years and a regular named Dave asked why I always tilted his head the same way, turns out I was cutting into the light instead of away from it the whole time. Nobody says anything for months and then one guy notices and you feel like a rookie all over again lol. The left handed thing makes total sense too, your detail hand should be doing the last pass where the blend matters most. Eight months is nothing though, I know guys who went years with stuff like that and never caught it. At least now you got a system that actually works with your hands instead of against them.