I always thought you had to use a stand mixer for macarons, but a baking blog proved me wrong

I was reading a blog called 'The Brave Baker' last month, and they had a whole post about making macarons by hand. I was sure it was a joke, because everyone says you need a stand mixer to get the meringue right. The post said you can use a regular whisk and a bowl, and it just takes about 15 minutes of arm work. I tried it out of pure curiosity, and my feet came out just as good as my usual KitchenAid batch. The key was using room temperature egg whites and a copper bowl, which the blog said helps stabilize the foam. It made me realize a lot of 'must have' gear is more about convenience than necessity. Has anyone else had a win with a method that goes against the usual baking advice?