Rant: a rigger in Tulsa asked why I boom down so slow, and I've been doing it wrong
I had a pick at a hospital job in Tulsa 4 months ago and a rigger with 20 years on me watched me bring the boom down and asked why I was easing it like glass. I said that's how I was trained, and he said gravity is free and my slow lowering was costing the crew 15 minutes a lift. He showed me with a 900 lb load that a steady controlled descent is smoother and safer than babying the lever. My lift times dropped by about a third once I trusted the machine instead of fighting it. Anybody else get corrected on something you'd done so long it felt like the only right way?
That rigger was right about gravity but "gravity is free" is a bit off, because you still have to control the load all the way down or it swings on you. Steady and smooth beats both babying it and dumping it, so you found the sweet spot.