For someone working on the systems interactions, the failure point is making sure all the bits of the project are working together.
For someone working on optics, the failure point is finding cost-effective optics -- if you can't do that, then the project isn't going to go forward.
For the hobbyist? The failure point is <i>getting the project done</i>. Every other concern takes a back seat to this!
From my vantage point as someone living in America, however, I'm probably in a similar boat to you, because of my inexperience in electronics. If I want to take a deep dive into the subject, I'd be much better off getting a lot of generic cheap parts I can accidentally burn through, but would give me 90% of what I need, and I can worry about whether or not I need something highly specialized later, as my projects -- and my knowledge and skills! -- mature.