[Texas944]

Stan - you hit the nail on the head - you dont get proper liquid to gas transition unless you evacuate the system - and regardless of what anyone says, the only reason you evacuate a system is because there is not supposed to be anything in there except for freon and oil (incidently, the oil that was originally in there was mineral oil, not pag).
After you charge a system with 1 can of 134 (enough to cycle the clutch), then you check for leaks with a sniffer (if you dont have one then you just hope for the best - you will know within 24 hrs if you have a leak or not).
Having said that, every once in a while (especially when you sell parts and deal with a lot of people), you meet someone that knows nothing about A/C (that thinks he does) that does everything wrong, and yet still ends up with ice cold air! "Throw all the theories out the window when that happens and just go with what you know"!
I think that for your first A/C job, the simple fact that you got coldER air to come out is awesome! Next, you need to get a good set of gauges and maybe an o-ring kit, and then start charging people to fix their systems - that's how I started 4 years ago - it's easy, and I have never had any come-backs - just referrals!
Bit of advice for your next A/C job - always use a new compressor and change the orifice tube/expansion valve and drier - especially if it is for a customer! Cant beat that warrenty!
Regards,
Brett.