The Leatherman Skeletool. Who knew?
Sure, churches struggle with budgets, and most of the technical gear on your wish list can be a little pricey. But sometimes it doesn’t take a lot of money to get a big win.
We asked church creative and technical influencers: What’s the best thing you ever bought for under $100?
Here’s what they said:
Wireless DMX
Brian Dunaway, director of communications at Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas, shares, “At Cross Church we found ourselves needing DMX control where we didn’t have DMX lines installed. We took a chance on an inexpensive wireless DMX (Donner 2pcs DMX512) and were pleasantly surprised with its reliability. We would not run an entire system on this, but we found it’s perfect for those outlying moving fixtures that need control outside the infrastructure of our DMX system.”
The Skeletool
"Whether I’m eagerly opening a new box of gear or dressing a rack, this bare bones multitool does the job."
Ryan Howell, director of production at Watermark Church in Dallas shares:
“Let’s face it, multitools are generally filled with a bunch of features that go unused. Therefore, they can be heavy and bulky, and make it difficult to fit into my skinny jeans. I am not generally clearcutting a forest, opening a bottle of wine, punching a new hole in my belt, sharpening an axe, or plucking my eyebrows. (Though a couple of those things are becoming more necessary as I get older.) The Leatherman Skeletool, however, has everything I need and nothing I don’t. Whether I’m eagerly opening a new box of gear or dressing a rack, this bare bones multitool does the job. The only additional feature the Skeletool is lacking is an LED flashlight, but for what this thing costs you’ll have plenty of money left over to pick up a Fenix E12 LED Flashlight and still stay under budget.”
Decimator Designs MD-LX
Adam Dye, media director at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn., shares, “This one’s easy! It’s the Decimator Designs MD-LX. The MD-LX is an HDMI/SDI bi-directional converter that auto-selects outputs based on input. It’s powered by a standard micro USB cable, and configuration changes can be made really easily on a Mac or PC via a USB connection to Decimator’s USB Control Panel software. It retails for $99.”
Gaff Tape
"What would we do without gaff tape? Most likely struggle with its ugly brother, duct tape.”
Chris Hinkle, director of engineering for the First Baptist Church of Orlando, Fla., advises, “Out of all the tools available for us to use in our industry, gaff tape is the most widely used and useful of them all. It covers a multitude of sins and holds together a multitude of gear in place. It comes in many colors and is used on all kinds of surfaces. What would we do without gaff tape? Most likely struggle with its ugly brother, duct tape.”
Pyle-Pro Headset Microphones
"They sound as good as some of [the] more expensive headset microphones and when they break, we just throw them away.”
Steve Reed, minister of worship production at First Baptist Dallas, says, “Five Pyle-Pro PMHMS20 headset microphones at $17.89 each on Amazon. These little headset microphones work great for kid’s musicals and large classrooms. They sound as good as some of [the] more expensive headset microphones and when they break, we just throw them away.”
eWallet
"This app is the single most important reason I carry technology in my pocket.”
John Weygandt, lighting designer at Cherry Hills Community Church, shares, “An app called eWallet by Ilium Software Inc. I've used this app on several different platforms, since the days of my PalmPilot. As my number of adventure trips around the sun increases my facility for remembering passwords and the many details of life ... has waned. This app is the single most important reason I carry technology in my pocket.”
Micca Speck G2 1080p Full-HD Ultra-Portable Digital Media Player
Jared Peoples, media director for Calvary Alexandria in Louisiana, notes, “Not all of our classrooms and displays throughout our facility are networked for distributed video, and some displays don’t have HDMI or USB connectivity yet. This little device is great for giving older televisions (composite out) and newer ones (HDMI) the same connectivity and solid media tools without breaking your budget on more expensive solutions. It is replacing DVD players since a lot of content is downloaded these days. And that missionary coming to speak to your 6th grade class can show up with their USB drive or SD card, pop it in, and roll! On Amazon for around $40.”
High Capacity Flash Drive
Michael Archibald, the AV administrator for the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York, says, “This is a tough one. That being said, I still find high-capacity USB flash drives useful. They are great for offline backup, and you can take music files anywhere without worrying about WiFi or bandwidth.”
An Easy Button
"... one press of the button after a technical snafu would remove the stress and allow the volunteers and staff to get back on track."
Mark Dines, facilities director at Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park, Ill., and former tech director shares on the gadget that says, “That was easy,” when pressed:
“The best thing ever purchased was an Easy Button for our tech booth. This $7.00 button was magical in the sense that one press of the button after a technical snafu would remove the stress and allow the volunteers and staff to get back on track. Imagine a team scrambling with 10 minutes left before the start of worship, with no way to get lyrics on the screens. Volunteers printing lyric sheets; geeks scratching their heads trying to figure out what is wrong; and the entire team becoming unglued and discombobulated because of the stress level. Two minutes to go, switching out the Mac with a PC and we averted disaster not once but many times over the years. These types of stories from the ‘behind the curtain’ always ended with the push of the Easy Button. What better way to clear the stress and move forward than with a laugh after hearing ‘that was easy’?”
