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?
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
What, no bread-makers yet?
I haven't ventured into sourdough but I'm teetering on the edge. Looking at the King Arthur crocks.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
A good bench scraper is useful for anything you do on a cutting board.
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 👍
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.
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.
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.
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.
Boots. Good quality boots. Nothing worse than being on a 10+ mile trail and realizing your boots are digging into all the wrong places.
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 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!
Where the audiophiles at? Haha.
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.
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 3
p.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.
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.
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.
I didn't even know that was a thing.
How's the dental practice doing, Fred?
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
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.
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)
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...
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.
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’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)
I have an old Miata I enjoy throwing money at. For Miata enthusiasts, it's absolutely owning an OEM hard top.
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.
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.
damn you i need to save money not spend it.
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?
