A 1 1/2 HP, using a rip and a crosscut thin blades, did everything I asked, so is it big enough for a hobbyist? Clearly. A hybrid puts it on a box so in theory dust collection may be better. ( I just put my contractor saw on a box) Some hybrids have a little better accessories and fence over a contractor series. Do look at the parts diagrams and you can see the differences between the various saws. F2 trunnion seems to be a light weight aluminum where a cabinet saw will be heavy cast iron. In theory, the bigger and heavier, the smoother. I am not sure the technical definition of the trunnion bolted to the top vs cabinet has any real merit. They are bolted together anyway. More the mass of the trunnion and motor HP.
Laguna, Baleigh, Oliver, Grix, ShopFox, Delta, Jet, and Powermatic, all make a Hybrid. For the same price, Harvey makes a 2 HP iron cabinet saw with some very nice features. SawStop only contractor or cabinet but you can get the smaller motor in the cabinet to bring the price way down. Maybe a good option if you only have 110.
Of course, a 3 HP saw needs a 20A 220 power drop. A 2 HP you can get away with a 20A 110. If you don't have 220, I sure would look at the Harvey 110LC along with the F2 and SawStop small motor PCS. The Baleigh and Oliver raise on posts rather than a pivot, kind of like a light weight version of a dovetail trunnion. The Powermatic 1000 may be an iron trunnion. Can't tell.
A riving knife, not a splitter, I consider an absolute must. That was half the reason I went to a cabinet. That and well, I just wanted the bigger heavier saw. Would a hybrid have worked? Probably. I had two scares WHILE MY RIDGID SPLITTER WAS IN PLACE. Small stock, one went under the splitter, one in the big gap between blade and splitter. I even use the blade guard on my C-300. I never had a scare with my MJ splitter, but still, I feel better with the riving knife. Yes people live without either. People love their old iron, epically if a Unisaw or PM66. People also jump out of perfectly good airplanes. Most of them do fine. I know of two who did not. The lucky one is in a wheelchair.
If you can afford it, I would buy the SawStop PCS 3 HP. Maybe overkill, but a very nice saw and maybe if you got careless, a minor injury rather than a serious one. Personally, I prefer to use sleds and jigs so I don't ever get within 6 inches of the blade. I am very happy with my cabinet saw and hope I don't regret not buying the PCS. It was a difficult choice. They all take up the same space, contractor to cabinet.
You can find a saw at every price point from $700 to $5000 with a justification for every step. ( Or $50,000 for industrial slider) Your choice. I wanted a Powermatic since I was in school, but could not justify the price considering their reputation is not what it was. Is the 2000 a match for the 66? Is it really any better than my C-300? Maybe if I could have seen them in a store I would have been convinced. The only saws I saw in a store were the PCS and an F3. Fit and finish on SS seems first rate. So was the F3. I had to tweak a few things on my C-300.
When it came down to it, I believe I bought a lifetime saw. I am too old to do it again. Your choice. Lots of very good options only you can decide. FWIW, never met an unhappy SawStop PCS owner even with the price and even with dismissing the brake feature.
It is spring sale time, I think Jet goes on sale soon. Harvey is already on sale. SawStop may toss in an accessory, but don't ever expect any Festool to actually go on sale. Cost no object and 220V available, a loaded SawStop was my first choice. All things considered, I went C-300. In truth, any of the hybrids or any of the modern riving knife contractors ( after enclosing) would have served me well.
"Clear as mud, but it covered the ground.
Made my head go round and round"