What piece of kit or setup represents the pinnacle of your hobby/profession?
What piece of kit or setup represents the pinnacle of your hobby/profession?
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?
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.
Woah that sounds amazing, how much of the system is electronic? Is the derailleur itself controlled by a servo?
Front and rear derailleurs are servo controlled. These connect to a central unit that also has the shifters connected to it. This central unit can communicate with a bike computer (via ant+) to show gearing.
In addition, you can set it up so that when you shift the front derailleur, it automatically moves the rear derailler. You might want to do this in order to keep roughly the same gear ratio when changing chainrings. Or, there is a mode where you just shift up and down, and the system manages the shift for you, shifting either (or both) derailleurs, simulating a 1x drivetrain.
All of the popular group sets have a version of this: shimano, sram, and campagnolo.
It’s very expensive lol
I didn't even know that was a thing.
Modern drivetrains are great but I love the feeling of friction shifters. It's like driving an old pickup with a manual transmission.
Nothing wrong with that. There’s something to be said for going with simplicity. Way easier to fix if something goes wrong. If I was doing some really hardcore touring through remote areas, I would definitely favor friction shifters for this reason.
WTF, first I'm hearing of this. Sounds really expensive. Is this a road bike thing? Sounds like a road bike thing, I can't imagine the mountain bikers wanting something like that.
How's the dental practice doing, Fred?
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.
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.
For sure. But there are ways to make it more affordable and sustainable. Seconds, OOAKs, estate sales, unravelling thrift finds, etc. If I was listening to all the yarn shops and designers I follow, I would have a collection of 250$ sweaters! (I'm not saying I don't have any mind you...)
My wife took up knitting one summer and now we're stuck with this huge stash of yarn.
As my GF likes to say, buying yarn and knitting are 2 different hobbies.
Maybe talk to her about crochet. That eats up yarn in a flash. Then you'll have doilies and granny square blankets all over the house!
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
This is beautiful work, wow! Winding yarn is so relaxing. Doing it with great tools is even more satisfying. I say it's totally necessary :)
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.
I only have a semi-portable table saw, and I don’t use it often, but it is easily one of my favorite tools
I wish I had the space to dedicate to big solid table saw, but even just getting a job site table saw was an absolute game changer for me.
If you've already got some permanent floorspace dedicated, a cast-iron top Ridgid or Delta won't take up much more at all and the current versions are basically clones of each other, down to their integrated casters. If you're having to put the thing away as an actual benchtop tool, then yeah, something is a million times better than nothing, no doubt.
I have the job site saw... Setting up the roller stands to handle big rips is a pain. But if I find the space to build it into a proper outfeed table, I think it could be about 85% of the cast iron saw.
Yeah, going from no saw to yes saw is obviously the biggest move. Beyond that, going from an aluminum table jobsite saw to a beat-up but cast-iron "motor-hanger" import contractor saw (I spruced it up and added a fence roughly equivalent to the ones that came on the Ridgid R4512) was a bigger jump than when I was using the makerspace's big 3hp and 5hp cabinet saws with Biesemeyers. For me, that first jump from jobsite to contractor is the move where the value-add is worth it and you're not too deep into diminishing returns.
I'm currently on the spiritual successor (and possibly literal, depending on which factory in Taiwan they came from) of my "project" saw, a Sawstop Contractor saw. I think it's the only one on the market that still has an outrigger motor, but I see no need to spend the money to upgrade any farther. The weight, the ability to adjust back into square, the induction motor (versus universal), the standard 27" depth and 3/4" miter slots, and the ease of adding supprt and fence capacity. Even staying out of the Sawstop argument, you get all of that with the jump to a Delta 36-725, or even an old Craftsman 113 (with SOME sort of upgraded fence).
I’ve currently got two vintage contractor saws sitting in my garage: a Craftsman 113 and a Powermatic 63. Both have beautiful cast iron tops and both have misaligned blades that I’ve spent hours trying to fix. I have PALS installed on both and for the life of me I can’t get the trunnion aligned properly. (Yes, this is a cry for help. plz help)
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 👍
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.
If it has multiple spools does that mean one spool can be disolvable for ease of support removal
For sure, PVA filament for supports that dissolve.
There is special support material available that you can set as support. Ins not soluble but apparently makes removing the support much easier.
Also, I have this printer and it’s really nice.
Yes exactly, that's one of the main things I want it for
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.
I'm patiently waiting for the cash free for the P1P and AMS. More colours would be cool but just being able to use a couple of different filaments without manually changing them will be wild.
Whoa, that is cool, thanks for sharing it! Might be time to replace my old replicator 2 soon.
damn you i need to save money not spend it.
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.
Dang, that is a primo niche! Well done ☺️
I still wish we had a mushroomgrowers forum here.
You could make a mushroomgrowers mag! You might be aware of this, but we do have: https://kbin.social/m/mycology
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.
I like to split the difference and use one of those nutube amps, I got a voxmv50 AC and it works very well for what I do. Tube purists will stick their noses up, modeling people will gawk at the lack of features, but for someone who doesn't even use reverb or delay it's perfect. (Plus it weighs nothing!)
If it sounds good, I’m into it. I’ve seen really, really expensive amps sound horrible, and relatively cheap ones sound great. But pretty universally, I prefer tubes amps sound.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Or if you wanna work on Japanese electronics. The Switch Pro controller is built with JIS screws.
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.
Mini computer people unite! I'm using a DAN Cases A4-SFXv4.1 and I love it. It's amazing that I can fit an entire GTX 1080 in this little case.
In your experienced opinion, what's a good horizontal sff case that can fit in an area around the size of an old Xbox One? I want to build a pc for the tv and the media cabinet it's on has spaces that comfortably fit consoles.
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.
As a writer and teacher, I was wracking my brains trying to think what item would be most desirable. You've summed it up perfectly, I think. I'd maybe throw on some kind of fountain pen, like a Twsbi Eco or Kaweco Sport.
I use an eco (I don't like the nib i got, too fat). Nothing like correcting work in red ink with shimmer!
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.
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!
I'll see if I can't get a good shot of something with my old camera to share over there.
Ironically my next big purchase will be a new SLR. Taking pictures or videos of minis to share is as big of a rabbit hole as painting them in the first place.
for all the keyboard peeps.....
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.
Mechanical keyboard peep here, and to me that's very gimmicky.
The screen definitely is. The swappable modules as well. I’m wondering about the keys themselves.
There’s really two reasons to use mechanicals- they’re. Ore reliable and because they don’t rely on mashing a circuit closed, you can type faster with less finger strain by not bottoming the key out.
If you can get the same effect in something that can be taken off and cleaned…
Oh my god it's so useless, I love it
Boots. Good quality boots. Nothing worse than being on a 10+ mile trail and realizing your boots are digging into all the wrong places.
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.
I've had mine for 5 years. They're close to not being waterproof anymore but they got good soles so I'm holding on :D
The Sennheiser HD650 is a staple in headphone HiFi. The fact that Amir demos everything with it is evidence enough.
It's a staple but hardly the pinnacle.
You're right. HD 800S are pretty high up there. Maybe some Audeze LCD-5's or Dan Clark's Ether 2.
But the 650's are a high quality item every enthusiast owns...
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.
Vintage Canon FD lenses or rare Russian lenses from the 60s
Any favorites in particular?
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.
What kits would you say are the most satisfying to put together? I'm new, I've built a few, and love the hobby (though I've barely seen any of the show).
Well, I have mostly built just HG kits so far, but they're all so much fun to put together I can't really pick one. I think I'm gonna go with the Origin Zaku II, and the Moon Gundam.
Well damn, now I need to go down a gunpla building rabbit hole on YouTube.
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.
As a photographer who also did some video services, I simply cannot imagine doing work on that tiny screen and limited storage space without a full blown OS. I don't know how some of you do it.
It's super easy and comfortable, actually. The only thing that might bother me a little is iPadOS, which has been a little buggy lately. Otherwise, 13 inches of screen and storage isn't an issue at all.
The screen is not small IMO. If it is for you, you can hook it up to an external display via USB-C to USB-C/HDMI or wirelessly via Airplay and basically turn it into a laptop/desktop with all the bells and whistles like external sound cards, keyboards, mice, external displays, MIDI instruments, microphones, HDDs/SSDs, etc.
I went for the 256 GB model which always has 100+GB of free storage because I always archive the finished projects onto either cloud or my own server, and delete them from my PC/iPad. Storage has never been an issue for me for as long as I can remember, but the iPads go up to 2 TB of internal memory.
I think that my only frustration with this thing is that it has the same hardware as the iMac/MacBook, and only because of the OS I can't install desktop programs on it. In your case, what part of a full-blown OS would you miss if you were to use an iPad to edit photos?
A good bench scraper is useful for anything you do on a cutting board.
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.
Wait till you live in Singapore. Your most expensive thing won't be the tools, it'll be the COE. xD
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.
You know, as someone who likes coffee, I've felt the gains at that level of precision to be very marginal. I've been at places where they calibrate the shit out of everything and I wouldn't say they're better than places that don't, or some of the stuff I've had at home.
You seem like a very cool person, same exact hobbies for me!
For sim racing everyone in my groups are losing there minds over MOZA hardware. I had the chance to try an R9 and instantly fell in love
For Espresso all my friends are still obsess with the Niche Zero and the Decent Espresso DE1. I roast on a Ailio Bullet and am still very obsessed with it!
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.
Most serious night-time mountain bikers either have, or want, the most serious mountain bike lights:
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.
a glovebox
What hobby uses that? I feel like it's outside the general consumer market too.
Edit: nevermind. Post title does say profession too.
I'd love to get a Unistellar telescope to share my observations and do citizen science.
I just got a 20 y/o 8” schmit-cassigrain on a flaky eq mount. First light was a blurry Venus. It was awesome.
Any other telescope enthusiasts over here?
I have an old Miata I enjoy throwing money at. For Miata enthusiasts, it's absolutely owning an OEM hard top.
Similiar situation for me, I have an S2000 and dream of getting an OEM Club Racer hard top. So expensive though!
I just did a quick Google on the CR hard top. Man, you aren't kidding! I thought Miata owners had it rough!
Agreed. I’d also add aftermarket roll bars/harness bars
Indeed! They certainly haven't come down in price recently, and shipping is out of this world.
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.
When I was looking around at new bikes, a wisened bike shop employee said "can you outrace your bike, or can your bike outrace you?" Here I am, many years later, still on the same bike.
That's a road bike thing right? I recall if you want to hit the trails there are plenty of decent MTBs at around 1k or slightly less.
Kinda...MTB's at that price point come with front suspensions that aren't really worth the added weight. You're adding complexity with the extra parts that you "should" be spending at least double that.
But yes, below 1K you're looking at entry level "fitness" bikes with flat bars, or something from Poseidon or Decathlon. Luckily the used market is vibrant if you have someone experienced helping you out (that's where reddit bike communities came in handy)
As a, primarily mobile developer, my own MacBook Air (MBA) and it's the M2 version.
I do get provided with MacBook Pros (MBP) for work but there's always that advice of separating your own stuff from work stuff. And I wanted to start doing my own stuff and experimenting with beta stuff and the like without messing up the stable dev environment for work. Even though I did consider shelling out for the MBP for more power, I think I valued portability more and the MBA was just way lighter and so far, all the stuff I'm tinkering with are relatively light weight or the M2 just handles it just fine.
Also the act of switching hardware physically gives me a good separation of life/hobby from work, especially not having access to my work code and environment which gives a bit of anxiety, just like the aura of being around work doesn't make me relaxed.
Snowboarding hasn't been mentioned yet.
Anyone who wants to do it somewhat seriously has their own pair of boots, from a reputable brand. Renting, or buying used boots is for rookies.
Also, there's the high-end boards from brands like Burton, Jones and Capita, which will actively try to kill anyone who doesn't know how to ride well.
As a vinyl DJ, I'd say the Wheels of Steel: the legendary Technics SL-1200 direct drive turntable. Though they make newer ones, the vintage ones can go for a grand a piece (if it was in excellent shape) or as little as $500 a piece of they're beaten up. With servicing those things will run forever, they're the gold standard for a reason.
An industrial sewing machine, or an old sewing machine. It seems like every time I meet somebody who's dedicated to the craft, they're rocking some post-war anvil as an every day workhorse.
Also a serger and coverstitch machine set up in the same space.
Recently I entered the world of dip pens and got a set from Deleter: Dip pen holder, G-nibs, and the Black 4 Ink. The G-nib is the most common nib used in manga drawing. It needs some pressure to do its work, but it's flexible enough to do thin and thick strokes.
They aren't hugely expensive items - the nibs can be bought in large packs for a few dollars at stationary stores, and are made to last for a few months of heavy use each. The ink is a little more expensive. It's the kind of thing where the results are better in that you can get some really sharp lines by using viscous ink that would clog anything else, but also, you'd only use it if you're deep into working with ink and aren't satisfied with felt fineliners. It's just logistically harder to deal with keeping an ink pot secure on the desk, dipping the pen, cleaning the nib, putting everything away. Fountain pens are way more popular with collectors, but dip pens are workhorses and there's almost nothing to troubleshoot, just "how do I keep ink from blobbing on it" (scrub off the protective factory coating with mild detergents or just using the ink itself) and "how do I clean it" (rinse with water).
The other tool of that type is the kolinsky sable brush - sable hair is more springy than synthetics. I am on the fence about actually getting one of those, my rubberized-felt brush pens do a decent job of getting the elements of brushes that I want, and cleaning brushes is more annoying.
For me it's my home server. 110TB at the moment, running UNRAID as a VM under proxmox. Also a load of software setup to share it's resources with my friends.
Might well be this one:
Repurposing an Accom Axial Control Panel
as it combines my previous career in TV, my lifelong interest in programming, my nostalgic tendencies, and my sheer love of buttons galore!
(Work in progress, full write-up is here.)That's wonderful! I have a 1994 AIO machine I just acquired as I moved; I need to set up a workstation and get to fixing it. You should join the retro computers community on the FMHY instance.
Photography. You'll probably get a variety of answers, but I would venture that a fast, professional level prime (L lenses for us Canon shooters) would be the top vote.
Everyone toying with system level stuff on ARM devices should have a cheap but Linux mainline capable board. Like a classic Allwinner A64 based board.
The pinnacle would probably be a dedicated Ampere server or workstation.
Not the pinnacle, but I am super excited about the Loos tension gauge I just got today. It will help me accurately dial in my sailboat's standing rigging for performance instead of just eyeballing it
I don't think I have anything that's worthy of the "pinnacle" award, so I'll go with most niche & prized: a hand powered tubular key cutter, the HPC Pocket Cut-up.
It's a mini (roughly measuring tape sized) hand powered all-in-one cutter+jig that can cut tubular key blanks to any code. Any professional would probably get an electric machine instead, so I'm not really sure who needs the pocket version. The small size makes sense for someone who doesn't cut keys for a living, but the price is ~$300 usd. I found it useful for replicating the service key to my apartment laundry machine, which gives access to the hidden start cycle button which normally only presses when you pay via the coin slide. The hand cutter has standard cut depths already set so all you need to do is pick the lock with a cheap impressioning tool and measure the tool once the lock opens to retrieve the key code, which is easily translated from caliper measurements to key code via publicly available lookup tables.
At ~$300 I may have saved some money over just paying since our laundry is $5 per load and I've used the replicated key for over 5 years (back of napkin math says as long as I've done laundry more than once a month I saved money, not a high bar to clear). I could have done it much cheaper by ordering custom keys online, but being able to cut a different code in 10 minutes if I got the measurements wrong proved to be really useful.
I guess two sets of cards but honestly I was never big on Pinochle,
For guys who like to collect dress shoes, the pinnacle is John Lobb custom. I think it's about $10K per pair? They actually make a mold of your foot, then use that to make the shoe.
Ring compressors and a lathe.
In the motorcycle world, European bikes from KTM, BMW, or Ducati are typically considered to be the most fun. While they cost a shit ton and require very frequent maintenance, if you ride a KTM or a BMW it shows that you are willing to throw a stupid amount of money to have the most horsepower and the best handling even though you may break down on the side of the road and need to change your oil every 500 miles.
I don't intend to shit on Japanese motorcycles because they (Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki) do a great job of providing a reliable (and still very fun) motorcycle experience but hop on a BMW or a KTM and you'll understand how it's just better as long as you can stomach the cost and maintenance.
Source: I've owned a Kawasaki ZR-750s, BMW R1200GS, KTM 500 EXC-F, Kawasaki Ninja 250,Honda CB 500F, KTM 790, and a Honda CRF 300L.
I will never judge someone's choice of motorcycle (unless it's too fucking loud) but the most fun you can have on two wheels is when the bike comes from Europe.
My little keyring screwdriver. I'm not a hobbyist for anything in particular (please suggest ideas !! I love gardening but that's casual) but whenever I need to spudge, twist, pop, puncture or push anything anywhere, my beautiful trusty screwdriver comes in handy. It has a flat end ('slotted') on one side and a pozidriv on the other. Sometimes I scour the house looking for trouble just so I can put it to use xP
I LOVE MY BABY SCREWDRIVER <3p.s. idrk the tip width but both ends are really tiny :)
Whoa, whoa, whoa... All that and no pic? No link? What a letdown. Show us Baby Screwdriver - we will judge.
Where the audiophiles at? Haha.
What, no bread-makers yet?
- Zojirushi Bread machine (I use it for the dough cycle. Don't at me.)
- Electronic scale. It can be a cheap OXO, but you need one.
- Banneton and liners
*Lame (honestly, my favorite is the cheapo Breadtopia one with the plastic handle--much better than the walnut-handled one my mom had) - More Emile Henry ceramic bakers than I'm willing to admit. Crown rolls, anyone?
I haven't ventured into sourdough but I'm teetering on the edge. Looking at the King Arthur crocks.
Gunpla, the ultimate tool is the GodHand SPN 120, a $60 pair of nippers to cut plastic nubs from the plastic. https://newtype.us/p/IDkPmY1qmmRfUwKSICuP/h/godhand-spn-120-ultimate-nipper
Photography: Peak Design quick detach clips, strap and baseplate.
Photography is just a hobby for me, so I tend to lean towards 3rd party lenses and accessories that have a good price to quality ratio. I can not overstate how substantial a difference these clips and straps have made for me. There is no comfortable way for someone to hang a camera around their neck or over their shoulder for more than a few hours with the OEM straps, let alone a full day. With these things I have backpacked multiple long weekend trips, taking my camera out of my bag in the morning and having it out all day. I can transition from a cross body dangle, to hanging from my backpack strap in seconds which is critical if I need to free my hands quickly.
Love these things.
I have a bunch of hobbies and most of them are diy focused so top gear without going pro would be like an electronically controlled all stainless RIMS system and a jacket chilled conical fermenter or vintage griswold cast iron and hand made carbon steel knives or those SNES carts I lost when I was a teenager.
The absolute pinnacle of my collection would be enough time to actually use what I already have.
