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Even if it's not expensive, Is there a high quality item every serious enthusiast owns?

Or maybe it's a highly prized holy grail item you'd give your right arm for.

Is there something you've had an eye on for a while and you're just waiting for an excuse to treat yourself?

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (10 children)

I have electronically actuated (as opposed to cable actuated) gear shifting on my bike. It's becoming way more common these days, though...but still, it's a pretty expensive piece of kit for quite marginal gains.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Woah that sounds amazing, how much of the system is electronic? Is the derailleur itself controlled by a servo?

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Knitting can be quite fun and somewhat low cost if you don't get influenced too much. But ask any knitter about their stash and you'll discover we're all hoarders who will not hesitate to pay ridiculous amounts of money for a single skein of hand died yarn (in the ugliest colours) that most likely will end up in the stash and never get knitted. Tools are the same. Why settle for a very basic and fully functional set of needles when you can get the most expensive one?

If you know a knitter, just know they are most likely sitting on a small fortune worth of yarn and tools.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Knitting acrylic yarn on basic plastic needles is fun, mostly.

Knitting merino wool on a slick set of stainless steel needles with memory-free interchangable cables feels so nice I feel like I'm breaking a law.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

My wife took up knitting one summer and now we're stuck with this huge stash of yarn.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

As my GF likes to say, buying yarn and knitting are 2 different hobbies.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

This is a highly contagious problem, and it effects those who crochet as well. I uh, got the bug and made this yard winder from scratch for my girlfriend lol. I use it too, when I get nice yarn in hanks, but it was wildly unnecessary.

Oops, here's the photo: A solid steel yarn winder, mounted on a black walnut base with brass legs and sorbothane feet

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (6 children)

For most power-tool woodworkers, it's a heavy cast-iron table saw. Versatile, accurate, stable, repairable, adjustable, and powerful. Hand tool folks may not have one at all, or maybe just a little jobsite thing to rip big boards, and there's a few people who think differently and either use a tracksaw or build up a custom work table with something smaller as its core, but the vast majority of people who are "into" woodworking will have a cast iron table saw in good repair.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

CRT monitors: the Intergraph Interview 28HD96, informally known as the "Carmacktron" (see picture)

A true 16:9 aspect ratio PC CRT monitor with a maximum output of 2042x1152 @ 80Hz. Not the highest horizontal frequency out there but an absolute monster in 1995.

Edit: Check out https://kbin.social/m/CRTs if you're into this shit 👍

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I'm into 3D printing, so for me right now the piece of kit I'm drooling over is the X1 Carbon by Bambu Lab. It has a lot of fancy features but what I most want is the 16-color mixer. It would be great because it would significantly reduce the painting overhead. I'm hoping to have it before the end of the year, if there's not something fancier out by then.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

If it has multiple spools does that mean one spool can be disolvable for ease of support removal

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

There's always something fancier out! Or new tech, just this morning I saw that AI adjustment tech, auto-adjusting flow, temp or z height.

Still, it's pretty incredible the stuff we can make in our own home, even with "older" 3D printers.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

A really nice laminar flow hood for mycology. It basically provides a clean area so you can work with agar without worrying about introducing contamination or stuff you don't want. You can make a basic version for around $100 (or a still air box if you can't afford one), but a really nice hood is somewhere in the ballpark of $500-1000 for what is essentially a fan with a Very good hepa filter.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

For guitarists you have either the 100% analog guys that can spend tens of thousands on a collection of amps, or the ones that went more digital with modelers. The big ones being the Kemper, Fractal, Nueral DSP and Line 6. I have the Quad Cortex and it's a killer, thought I wish the rate of updates was a little faster.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Tube amps always sound better. Just saying.

Can we tell which category I fall into?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Can we tell which category I fall into?

Forearms that can carry a boogie stack from the van to the stage by their damned selves.

That category.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In reef aquariums people are currently obsessed with this -

https://charterhouse-aquatics.com/shop/aquatics/pumps/aqua-illumination/ai-nero-5-powerhead

It moves water. Not anywhere in particular, just makes it move within the tank. It does this job quite well. It sounds ridiculous when you try to explain it to anyone that's not part of the hobby.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

A good quality micrometer. Some will go for the classic Starett, others will get a modern digital Mitutoyo. Doesn't matter if it's a lathe or mill guy, CNC or manual. Any decent machinist will have their mic.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Not all of my metrology equipment makes it back in the tool chest every time I'm done, but my Brown & Sharpe digit mics? My Starrett No. 220? My Federal indicating micrometer? Those never see a second out of their case that they don't need to see.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you like working on old Japanese motorcycles with carburetors, you really really want to have a JIS screwdriver. A Phillips will "work" ... but it'll tend to want to cam out of the bolt head, stripping it, especially if the bolts are corroded in place after 40 years. A proper JIS screwdriver has a different bit profile, designed for use with those bolts.

"So just get one, how hard can that be?" I hear you asking. A real, quality JIS screwdriver is expensive, at least in the States. And the cheap ones are often not actually JIS screwdrivers at all. Another option is replacing JIS bolts with allen head bolts, this is very common. But if you are a stickler for keeping things as original as possible ... it's got to be JIS.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Or if you wanna work on Japanese electronics. The Switch Pro controller is built with JIS screws.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Been into computer hardware for not very long and got dragged into the Small Form Factor PC space immediately.

The pinnacle for me for a while what getting recent hardware into a PC case as small as a shoebox

I've started with PCs as small as 20L and now have my PC in a case less that 10L. The urge to go smaller while maintaining the same amount of power is hard to resist.

There are others doing full custom watercooling loops in PCs smaller than mine but that is a whole other rabbit hole i don't think i am ready for.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Miniature painter here, if you don't own a Windsor and Newton series 7 sable brush what are you even doing?

oh, I recently got a Vortex mixer and it's a game changer.

A good quality airbrush can get expensive too and is probably the biggest upgrade to the hobby.

as with all art it's subjective, you adjust to the tools you use ... but seriously, get a series 7.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Windsor and Newton Series 7s were my first expensive brushes. I'm rocking Raphael 8404s right now though and I've been a lot happier.

I'd say that the Harder Steinbeck Infinity series are probably the "you've made it" of mini painting with lots of little tweaks and QoL features, but my Iwata Eclipse has been a perfect work horse for me and may be a "pinnacle" for mini painting as far as overall value.

Not sure you've made it over there yet, but feel free to join us on https://kbin.social/m/minipainting. Always love to see more work over there!

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

A coffee mug gifted by one of your favorite students.

Followed by a working pencil sharpener and the nice stapler you don't let freshmen hands touch.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Boots. Good quality boots. Nothing worse than being on a 10+ mile trail and realizing your boots are digging into all the wrong places.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My hiking boots had their 24th birthday last month. Still as comfortable as they were when newly broken in. I have easily covered 20,000 km in them.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (5 children)

for all the keyboard peeps.....

https://fluxkeyboard.com/

Gimmick or... do you think the hall effect keys might not be as bad as chicklets? I'm intrigued by the ability to clean it easily. (the keyboard frame itself pops off and can be rinsed.) Not sure I want a screen under it, though.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Mechanical keyboard peep here, and to me that's very gimmicky.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The Sennheiser HD650 is a staple in headphone HiFi. The fact that Amir demos everything with it is evidence enough.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's a staple but hardly the pinnacle.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I do gunpla building, and the one thing you see most builders, regardless of level, immediately want to go for, is a pair of good single-bladed nippers. Usually the holy grail are the God Hand japanese brand nippers, as they perform a very clean and close cut to remove the plastic nubs off the parts, but other less expensive options exist. Sure, there are many different ways to deal with the plastic nubs that stay when you cut off a part from the runner, but the one tool almost everyone goes for, are those nippers. Usually, to the point of keeping two pairs, one to clip parts off the runner, and one just to cut off the nubs.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

#BobbinLace:

Top equipment: A Christina roller pillow. I can't even find one to show you, they are rare white whales....

Top reference book: Lace, A History.

It's a very weird hobby, with a lot of second-hand sales among the practitioners once you get in, because there's no large-scale production of equipment for the most part.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Vintage Canon FD lenses or rare Russian lenses from the 60s

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

iPad Pro.

First Apple product I've purchased since the 2005 iPod Video. It does live to its hype for publicists/designers: Ridiculously powerful/optimized device for its form factor, P3 color calibrated 120Hz display covered by laminated glass, and with the support of software like Nomad Sculpt, Affinity Photo/Designer/Publisher, Procreate, DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools and Final Cut Pro.

I think the only thing we're missing is a hard-surface modeling package like Blender, and actually usable IDEs like JetBrains Rider, but this thing which is the size and weight of a magazine is already an amazing professional toolbox.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Hm, professionally?

A spectroradiometer for display calibration (Colorimetry Research or equivalent) and Minolta colorimeter

Hobby wise: Not necessarily the pinnacle but a set of Magnepan speakers and an amp good enough to drive them. I just like the sound of them but not necessarily the peak for all enthusiasts.

Also a Stax headphones with a matching high voltage driver. Again, a niche product that isn't at the top of all headphone enthusiasts, but I like them. Alternative, Audeze LCD series. Guess the trend is that I like planars and electrostatics.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'd love to get a Unistellar telescope to share my observations and do citizen science.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Most serious night-time mountain bikers either have, or want, the most serious mountain bike lights:

https://www.outboundlighting.com/collections/mountain-bike-lights/products/evo-downhill-package-best-bike-light

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Magic: the Gathering - Beta basic lands.

Basic lands are a commodity. If you need some for a deck, you can get them for basically free. Often literally free. If you want to baking out your deck, very rare versions of basic lands (functionally identical in gameplay, just unique art or a rare printing) can cost hundreds of dollars.

Beta basic lands are from the first set of magic. When I played more they were still like $10 a piece- a luxury, but quite affordable for this game. Alpha is the very first printing, but they have historically been a little further out of reach price-wise, and Alpha cards are cut slightly differently on the corners than all subsequent sets, so Beta is a little more desirable for actually playing with. It's considered basically the classiest way to pimp your deck- out of hundreds of printings, this set is by far the most common to find the pros running.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Modifying cars. Both hobby and profession.

10mm socket. Those bastards always grow legs.

Honestly, high quality tools. Typically Snap-On. And then it just becomes about the circles you run in.

In the RX7 community, a running car, that still has a rotary in it, is like the 1%

Overall Japanese classic cars it’s about certain name brands.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

A good bench scraper is useful for anything you do on a cutting board.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Two for me.

For simracing - a set of pedals with a load cell brake. Building muscle memory for the force you push on the brake is so much better than trying to be consistent with the angle of your ankle. The consistency you can achieve with braking is unreal.

Home espresso - a set of accurate scales and a timer. Reducing variables when trying to dial in a new bag of beans or when chasing that perfect cup is so handy. Like the the load cell brakes for sim racing, it allows you to be consistent and just change small things at a time and then stick to what works.

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[–] Pavidus 5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I have an old Miata I enjoy throwing money at. For Miata enthusiasts, it's absolutely owning an OEM hard top.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

There's no real pinnacle for cycling as there are too many disciplines and brands, but what was eye opening for a beginner was the price.

It's often noted that the price to performance ratio just about levels out at $3,500 for a bike (top end carbon frame and wheels with a 105 groupset for example); anything above that is really for people being paid to race. That doesn't stop people with money burning a hole in their pocket from spending 5-12k on a bike thinking the 60 seconds it will shave over an hour long ride is somehow worth it.

Throw in shoes, helmet, bib shorts/shirt ($300 each) and you're looking at one expensive hobby.

Meanwhile most beginners are out there looking for a sub $1k bike wondering why there's nothing available.

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