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.
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.
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'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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 <3
p.s. idrk the tip width but both ends are really tiny :)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.