Anyone else love making refrigerator pickles? I'm new to it and never really read instructions

Other than finding out the right vinegar to water ratio, recommended by most as somewhere between 1:1 and 2:1 water to vinegar. So I've been doing it in the middle, so 1.5 cups H2O to 1 cup vinegar. It's a little bit on the tangy side but still good. Cheaper and better than store-bought for sure!

Anyways in my latest batch I actually looked up recommendations to improve crispness because my earlier batches always got pathetically soggy after just a couple weeks. So one rec was a pinch of calcium chloride in the jar, and holy moly that made a HUGE difference! Three weeks in now, and they're as crisp as when I put them in the jar. That trick totally works like magic!

I just do your basic spicy garlic dills with whole mini cukes from Costco: fresh dill, a few crushed garlic cloves, and 2-3 birdseye chilis, whole peppercorns, and a bit of salt and sugar.

Anyone else have tricks for making them delicious?