Tool offset zero point: my last 200 parts owe every one to the stock surface?

I saw a stat on a forum, maybe from a Haas tech, about how 80% of crashed tools come from operators using the wrong Z reference when they set offsets. I always used the top of the part, but apparently most places are referencing off the table or a tool setter. Now I'm wondering if that matters on a simple 2D job, or if I'm just overthinking a basic setup. Has anyone else gone from part top to fixed reference and seen a real difference in repeatability, or is it just old-school habit?

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the_jordan18d agoMost Upvoted

Watched a guy set his Z off the vise jaw once and buried a drill in the part.