Zeroing in now. So if .35 is not a bad first layer height why is everyone struggling so hard to get that perfect .2mm gap? I guess in reality, as long as the filament is getting pushed into the bed, you'll have good adhesion. And if you have a .5mm nozzle, the .35 is still being pushed in 30% of that diameter. So it you are at least pushing it in and not having it "fall" onto the bed, then the most important thing is "level" and, that's what this whole autoleveling thing is all about. Getting that first layer as consistent as possible. Whether it's .2mm or .35mm, it's about level. Correct?

I'm convinced that the 'First layer height:' setting was my culprit. I kept having to adjust the head down manually and about .15 was what I was finding it off. Now I know. I'll go check my other slicers for similar 'First layer height' parameters. I bet I'll be surprised and will solve this.