PSA: I stopped using pocket screws for face frames in my shop last week.
Three years ago, I built a kitchen in Springfield with them. Last month, a client called about a wobbly frame on a built-in I made. It was the pocket screws, they had loosened over time. I switched to mortise and tenon for a repair job last week. It took longer, but the joint is solid. Anyone else find pocket screws just don't hold up long term?
Pocket screws can work loose with wood movement, especially in big casework. That wobble you saw is classic. Mortise and tenon is a forever fix, even if it eats up more shop time. Good call making the switch, @faithg65 is right that the timing seems off, but sometimes one bad failure is all the proof you need. I keep a few pocket hole jigs around for quick shop stuff, but never for client work that needs to last.
Look at the actual facts instead of guessing. That three year old thing was a different project with a different team. We shut down the new initiative last week because the numbers were bad from the start. It just wasn't working. Sometimes you have to cut your losses fast.