Its always easier to try to buy your way up the chain than putting in the work. And when you are not actually a pro it often becomes a social novelty of its own

Its always easier to try to buy your way up the chain than putting in the work. And when you are not actually a pro it often becomes a social novelty of its own (and within reason one I often enjoy myself). The end game for me in all things like this is that when I actually become a sort of expert in the gear choices I realize that often the middle ground items are sometimes the best - pricier things are often better but there are huge diminishing returns and sometimes the simplest item of decent quality is actually the most functional.