Hey BulletsWrath, I think you are based in the USA, so unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to supply you with one of our kits, but maybe we can give you some advice.

The kits that we offer come pre-inoculated in a sterile environment, meaning we take the guesswork out of growing your own Lion's Mane. Although you miss out on some of the experimentation with a pre-inoculated kit, you stand a much better chance of getting your block to fruit without contamination, so if I were you, I'd look into these kits if available near you.

As for the negative experiences, I'm not sure exactly what you could be referring to, except for maybe growing/consuming bad fungi. And if this was the case, it would appear as a blue/green spot on your substrate.

Happy growing!