I used to feel this way, as well. I found that the tighter I made it the more difficult it was to assemble, and in some cases led to damage or even breakage in the final piece. Nowadays I go with a snug fit (0.005 or maybe 0.006” Kerf adjustment) with very accurate glue placement using small needle tipped bottles. Assembly is so much easier, and because I have precise control over the glue it doesn’t lead to a lot of cleanup.
If I were doing 40 boxes, I would absolutely go to Using glue, because assembling tight finger joints is painstaking.
Here are the bottles I use. I’m still on my first one, I periodically use a thin wire to clean the nozzle but other than that no issues at all.