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Archive for the 'Shiny new kit' Category
Fatness Tricker
The Aldi online emporium was flogging off twin-packs of these Medion Fitness Trackers, so we took a punt and nabbed a pack to see how they fared, with a view to upgrading to something more techie later if we decide that they are beneficial.
We're not in any way fitness-fanatics, but we thought that these gizmos would give us some idea how many steps we do at home each day. Being cooped-up either shielding or working-from-home, it's easy to slip into a false sense of having done enough exercise.
The Aldi blurb proclaims most of the info that anyone would need when contemplating a purchase, but here's a quick run-down of what I've found after a few weeks of use:
The thing is easy to set up and is comfortable to wear, but care is needed getting the wrist-tightness correct - if it's too loose the pulse-sensor bit loses contact with the skin, if it's too tight then circulation to the hand can be affected. Operating the unit is simple - no swiping screens, it's a click-through system with just one screen touch-sensor, so it's fairly idiot-proof. There are no buttons or whatever on the sides, so it's ambidextrous.
Charging is simple - there are no separate chargers, cables or wires, there's an integrated USB connector which is revealed by pulling off the strap. It's a neat idea but when I plug it into my laptop the device screen faces downward, not ideal for checking whether the thing is fully charged. Looks like I'll have to find a short USB extension cable after all, or use one of my USB power-banks (more on that subject in a later post).
The tracker unit is flush with "activities", I've not used any of them yet as I'm not allowed to venture into the wild, but I'm looking forward to using the walking setting next time I escape these surly bonds. The pedometer seems to catch most steps but also counts some arm motions. At my most-recent haemo clinic when having my obs done I compared the pulse readout with their hi-tech machine and the data were a close match. Sadly there's no Yoga Mode which would have been of interest to Chris, but I'm sure that if she wants to upgrade to a different device with that included she'll do so.
Setting targets is a doddle, and the tracker emits a satisfying yet discreet signal whenever a target is reached. Chris has set a motion-prompt and tells me that it works as expected but I can't vouch for it as I need no prompt to move about, most of the time I need to be restrained.
The recommended free Android app installed first time on the phone and on the tablet, and is basic and simple to operate. Chris tells me that the app DOES have a Yoga Mode but she's yet to try it, so we're interested to see how that works out. We've not yet set up Cloud access so I can't comment on that. As far as I can tell, there's no way to export data to any other app or software when in phone/tablet-only mode. Sync-period is adjustable, I found that the default setting was draining my phone so I set it to max and it's been fine since, and manual syncs are simple enough. The sleep-tracker is odd though - "Time Asleep" = Deep + Light... + Awake!?!?
All told it's good for the money - it's not flash, it's fairly-well specced, and so far it's been reliable.
Oh, and it tells the time.
A quick & dirty gear round-up
There's not much here for the technical-gear addicts, but we did try out a few bits of bargain kit to see how they fared during our week in the LDNP.
Fleece jacket: It's a Quechua Men's Hiking Warm Fleece Jacket SH500 X-Warm from Decathlon. I picked up a petrol blue / carbon grey and a black / carbon grey in the sale early last year. Each has waterproof bits, venting bits, breathable bits, stretchy bits, simple yet effective cuffs, a good pocket arrangement and a good zip-into-collar hood. Bargains at less than £30 a pop, with free Click & Collect at the local Asda thrown in.
Trousers: MOD-issue MTP PCS, I have a selection of sizes (mainly 80-96-112) in either temperate or warm fabrics to suit most conditions. Superb pocket arrangement, lightweight, quick-drying, fairly windproof, and tough as old boots. Prices and availability variable.
Baselayer: Good old Aldi merino long-sleeved tops. Always a bargain. I don't need to spend a fortune on anything more technical.
Headgear: In the fine weather there was no real need for tech-hats, but in order to keep the consultants happy I kept the UV off my sparsely-thatched bonce with super-cheap zandanas from eBay. They take about 20 minutes to wash and air-dry, and keeping a couple of spares in my pocket, along with a few face-coverings for pestilence-defence, is hardly a huge weight-penalty. I now have a fine selection of patterns to suit most occasions.
Footwear: I took the trusty Scarpa SLs but didn't wear them at all, opting for my Trezeta Incas. Had minor issues with them when they were new, the laces were stretching too much, replaced them with proper Scarpa laces and they've been fine ever since. Waterproof, grippy, and comfy. Nice to see that they're still using lasts nearly the same as Scarpa.
Headgear - jacket - trousers - boots - headgear - baselayer - trousers - boots
Pack: I used my trusty LA Alpine Attack 40 so no news there, but Chris was toting her new Forclaz Women’s trekking backpack 50+10L, another nice bit of kit from Decathlon. OK, so 50 litres is over-kill for a day-walk, but I'm not going to argue with her, she knows what she likes and she has to carry it so it's none of my business.
Comms: Not something that I use a lot on the hill, but when my previous handset died I opted for an outdoorsy waterproof replacement. I went for the Ulefone Armor X6 - it's MIL-STD 810G, IP68-rated and covered in all sorts of impact-resistant bits, so dropping it into water or onto rocks isn't too much of a worry. It's still passable as an everyday phone and it is way cheaper than any iThing.
Finally, there's Olga. Not sure if she qualifies as "kit" but she was a lock-down bargain and we wouldn't have enjoyed the holiday as much without her. She's built for comfort and for speed, and she has more in-built tech than I can shake a stick at, but I do wish that I could change the satnav's voice. I also wish that I could turn off the stupid alarm that tells me that the driver's door is open even when I'm sitting in the driver's seat right next to the door that I've left open on purpose.
One unnerving thing about her is that her warranty is longer than mine.
Why "Olga"? Well, here's a clue...
I couldn't bring myself to call it Bolg
The simple things you see are all complicated…
A "Barrow-in-a-Box"... with only one moving part, seven components and a handful of nuts & bolts, drawing up accurate assembly instructions really ought to have been a doddle.
In an episode of madness we decided to defy male instinct and years of engineering & assembly experience. Instead, we followed the instructions to the letter, just to see how things would work out. What could possibly go wrong?
You can find the instructions here in .pdf format, but to save you the hassle I'll walk you through the odd bits.
First up - tools required. It says that I'd need a flat-bladed screwdriver for the M8 bolts which are parts 7 and 9:
but that's bollocks, parts 7 and 9 are all Torx-headed:
And then there are the 2-off front supports - parts 6. Whoever specced the folding of the ends of these is an idiot:
And just for good measure, whoever made those supports didn't deburr them, so they have edges like ragged razors.
Eventually we bent the supports into submission with minimal effort, tightened all of the fittings, and stood back to admire our handiwork.
It doesn't live up to the expectations I had for it being a "HEAVY DUTY BUILDERS BARROW" (yes, on the box they omitted the apostrophe). Compared to my previous barrow it's cheap and tacky even though, allowing for inflation, I paid almost twice as much for it. The old one's front support was 32mm dia 1.5mm wall powder-coated steel tube and was part of the 2-piece welded-together braced frame, this one has those 2 pressed straps which, although described as "robust", appear to have been made from compressed KitKat foil - if I can bend them easily by hand, I can't see them withstanding the rated 150kg load for very long. They are bolted to a 3-piece 30mm dia 1mm wall painted steel frame that's held together by 2 bolts and wishful thinking.
After having previously had barrows with pneumatic tyres, and after having to replace the tyres or inner-tubes every few years due to punctures or perishing, this time I opted for a puncture-proof job. I've used such barrows before and they've been fine, but this one is awful - there's no "give" or "bounce" in the tyre, it may as well have had an iron-banded wooden wheel off an old hay-cart. The axle is the shank of a long M10 low-grade steel bolt sleeved with a bit of flimsy 12mm dia steel tube, unlike the old one which had an axle of hefty galvanised 32mm dia 2mm wall tube.
The tray's pre-galv steel is a gauge or two thinner than my old one and the edges are turned but not re-turned, so there are exposed sharp and ragged edges which have already cut my hands and gloves.
And the nuts... barrows have to put up with a lot of abuse, so there's a fair chance of nuts coming loose, therefore locking-washers or nyloc nuts are what's needed, but no, here we have low-grade soft-steel flanged nuts and no washers, except for the nut on the axle-bolt which isn't even flanged.
I'm not impressed. An Eastern European migrant builder may well think it's the Bentley of barrows, but a burly Brummie brickie would probably think it's more of a Trabant.
Hen’s teeth
These are as rare as rocking-horse shit and could well be the world's last decent pair in my current size*:
Dutch Army DPM trousers. Renowned for their durable thicker temperate-rated fabric and for their superb no-drawcord no-belt-required waist-adjustment system which allows the waist-band for be resized +/- 2 inches, or the complete top-end to be opened, with minimal hassle.
I was lucky to find these, they were on Fleabay, described as "used, like new" or something like that. When they arrived I was pleased to see that they were unissued, unmarked and still in their original unopened military packaging. Result!
But this could be the last pair I ever find. I might have to make the move to temperate-weight MTP jobs which don't have the same durability and versatility. That said, I do already have some ongoing projects involving MTP 🙂
Air Arms S200 Mk II with HuMa external regulator, quick-fill & gauge, Mobius ActionCam (25mm lens) & USB power-bank, a GBFO scope and some MTP tape.
It's a work-in-progress 🙂
* 80-96-112 or 7585/9000 - another work-in-progress 🙁
