Gymno - best value for beginners?

[el48tel]

I’ve always been put off gymnos by those horrible coloured monstrosities you see grafted on hylocereus. I also think mihanovichii is pretty ugly.

However, I picked up a couple of those plants last year (armatum and eytianum), which has got me a bit more interested. I’ve now got 10 or so, many of which are in bud! I’m always a sucker for very strong spination, so spegazzini is a particular favourite.

I used to agree with that sentiment. But then I bought a hybrid/variant which was one side normal and the other red pigmented. The flowers were totally different pigmentation in visible light but had the same Infrared signatures. I'm waiting patiently for flowers again to test out their UV signatures.
Ugliness is a relative term. I am relatively only recently discovering the beauty in spination. The beauty in the mathematical pattern in the areoles and spine arrangement I have always appreciated.
And yes .... I do know .... I have strange tastes.

We collect cacti. I think it’s safe to say we all have strange tastes.

Definitely