I think the biasing and other hand-on "hassles" you describe, including rolling, testing, etc. are part of the allure of using tubes. Just like the experiences of LP playback (cleaning, setting up your table, etc.) make it unique. As they say, the journey IS the destination. If you don't hassle-free equipment. Stay away from tubes.
Adjusting tubes for bias and other tube hassles
OK I'm a newbie here and am thinking about jumping into tubes. (Have sent final tuition payemnt to last child's college.) Am concerned about the hassle of such things as "adjusting for bias," etc. that I've read about. Is it anything that a basically non-handy person has to worry about?