Unpopular opinion: Sticking to capacitor discharge made my repairs way safer
I used to skip discharging capacitors because it felt like extra work. After frying a board last year, I made it a rule to do it every time. Just last month, I was fixing an old TV power supply and discharged a big cap. It sparked, but nothing got damaged because I was ready. Another time, on a computer monitor, the same habit prevented a short. Now I see fewer blown components and my repair jobs are more reliable. It's a small step that makes a big difference.
Ever get cocky and skip discharging a capacitor? I sure did, and my pride has a few scorch marks to prove it. On an old cassette deck, I assumed the caps were safe and ended up zapping the bias circuit, which fried the recording head. Now I always discharge, just like you, and it saves a lot of headaches.