patches

Like these? https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ryobi-450mm-1-4-hex-drill-extension-bar_p0056799 Someone in SA must have them. Maybe not Ryobi, but I know Irwin makes them too.

I may have stolen some scientific terminology from one of my YouTube heroes... AvE. If you ever want to see a tool review, he's the guy to watch!

hahah hey! I haven't got a kiwi accent! ... although apparently I don't have much of any sort of accent anymore

As others have explained, the terminology can be confusing. Drill, hammer drill, impact drill drill driver, drunk driver, whatever! So here's my slightly silly way of looking at it... You know the DRILL... The drill. Drill driver. You know this. This is what most people use or associate with making holes and turning fasteners. These use the traditional 10 or 13mm 3 jaw chucks, most decent models have clutches to tap out of the torque is too high for the application (like driving screws into drywall). Can make holes in wood, metals, plastic,ad nearly any material where just a spinny-spin motion is needed. Can fasten/unfasten most screws/bolts/nuts with the correct bit and as long as they are't too tight. Advantages: Great for making holes and some light fastener work. Cheapest option. Disadvantages: Limiting in other areas. Not torque enough to undo the wheel-nuts on your car. It's HAMMER Time The most common type of hammer drill is just called that... a hammer drill (or in confusing cases, an impact drill). Still has the 3 jaw chuck and does spinny-spins, but now with some added tappy-taps (when set to hammer mode). The taps are axial (or along the shaft of the drill bit). They hammer mode is almost primarily used for masonry (brick, concrete etc). But almost all hammer drills will have a regular drilling mode (and sometimes a fastener driving mode) so they are very versatile. Advantages: Versatile, not too pricey Disadvantages: Not great for serious masonry work. Still won't undo the wheel nuts on your car. For dedicated masonry work and when some extra brute force is needed, a rotary hammer drill is the tool. Bigger, beefier, and will pull you pants down if you use the belt hook. Most of these use a special SDS (or some SDS variant) chuck, requiring special slotted drill bits. Like so: They can do harder tappy-taps (in the axial direction) while doing spinny-spins, to get though things like concrete lintels and such. Some can also do tappy-taps without spinny-spins as a sort of chisel/jackhammer function. Not ideal for driving fasteners due to size, weight, and the need for an SDS-regular chuck (or some other) adaptor. Advantages: Powerful. SDS chuck system is great. an come with chisel functionality Disadvantages: Pricey, heavy, too specific, and not great for anything else really. Deep IMPACT Now we get into the actual question at hand... the impact driver. These use a quick-release hex type chuck. They are primarily used for driving fasteners and unlike the hammer drill, the impact action is tangential (perpendicular to the radius... damn that sounds even more confusing)... so basically thing of using a decent sized spanner on a tight bolt, stuck bolt. Then to get the bolt loose you hit the end of the spanner in an anti-clockwise motion with a hammer. That is how the impact driver do. When a certain amount of resistance to the rotation is met, it starts a hammer/impact action in in the same direction as the rotation. They can create massive amounts of torque (like I mean more torque than a mid sized car. The impact driver pictured above puts out 280Nm). One can also get drill bits to fit the hex-chuck for making holes in stuff, however there is no axial impact/hammer action so no good for masonry. The impact driver drill bits have the hex shank like so, and can be uses in a conventional chuck.: Advantages: more compact than a drill. great torque for for tough fasteners. Can drill holes (best suited to soft materials though). Hex chuck is super quick and easy to use. It also doesn't loosen itself or slip, like conventional chucks often do. And yeah... it will likely undo the wheel-nuts on your car Disadvantages: Not suited for masonry. Not ideal for all drilling applications. You filthy WRENCH The impact wrench is very similar to the impact driver, with the main difference being the "chuck", or lack thereof. Impact wrenches use conventional square drives (usually 1/2") to attach sockets for the driving of fasteners. They also have more torque and are generally bulkier. Some more powerful models (like the one below) are even bigger, but boast more torque than a supercar... we're talking over 1500Nm for the variant below) Advantages: very powerful. Great for driving big fasteners and tech screws into tough materials. Fits your socket set. Can undo the wheel nuts on your car Disadvantages: Too specialised for general use. Pricey. Will strip the wheel nuts off your car. Conclusion: Impact drivers are amazing. I use mine far more often than I use my drill. Mostly because I fasten/unfasten more than I make holes in things, and the size and hex chuck make it convenient. However if I could only have 1 of all the above, it would be a hammer drill as it's the most versatile. If you have a hammer drill, the addition of an impact driver will not go to waste. I'm fairly certain that like me, you'll find yourself using it more and more.

hahahaha go for it! As much as I poke fun at GS's for being engineered as offroad bikes (or Harleys being engineered.... at all ) You're gonna arrive a lot more comfortable an refreshed after hours on the bike than I will on my Husky petrol-to-noise-and-vibration converter

I was suckered in by a sweet orange deal and ended up with one of these AEG Brushless Collated Screw Gun I've been doing a fair amount of dry-walling at home (new ceilings, walls etc) and I do have a pre-owned corded Makita version (which I bought form a Cash Converters), but cordless is so much more convenient especially when clambering up and down ladders and platforms.

Oh indeed, totally agree! Price and availability would be critical factors to consider. The KTM 500 or Husky 501 will be significantly more expensive than the Honda she went with. A brand new KTM 500 EXC Six Days (only option I could find available in SA) will set one back around R156k A brand new Husky 501 will make your wallet about R151k lighter And a used 2018 hand Husky 501 with low hours (47) will see you shelling out about R99k So yeah, even that 2nd hand Husky is about R25k more costly than a brand new CRF250L. As for availability, SA isn't as big on the 500cc Austrians as Aus and NZ are. I'd guess because the SA "off-road" scene is so polarised between the 2 extremes... namely 100kg 2 stroke enduro bikes or hippo-sized BMW GS pavement parkers. The lightweight and mid-size adventure following is small (but growing). The addition of bikes like the 790 & 890 KTM Adventures and the 700 Tenere, has been helping this growth in the mid-size adventure market. As for lightweight-adventure/dual sports and the 500s... I'd hazard a guess that most 500's sold in SA are to riders using them for rally racing as a cost effective alternative to 450 Rally replicas. Demand is low so stock will be low. They are out there though. But yeah, if one could come up with the extra R30-40k odd (for the used Husky and some aftermarket kit), it would be an amazing machine to do this sort of adventure on and still significantly cheaper and more capable than a midsize adventure (like a 790 or Tenere).

There's a tried and trusted option here... The KTM 500 EXC-F (or Husky FE501). Aaron Steinmann Adam Riemann & Co MASSIVELY capable offroad, powerful yet light weight. Pretty simplistic (and easy to service). Loads of aftermarket accessories for long range travel. And despite the stigma for being "highly strung race machines" the 500's are actually pretty "tractorlike" and keep chugging along. The downsides... cost and comfort. Comfort can be overcome with aftermarket parts (seat-concepts seat, steg pegz, rally fairing. Cost is still an obstacle though, however the 2014-2016 models lend themselves well to the lightweight adventure setup due to the 19L Acerbis fuel tank that is available. So buying a 2021 model isn't necessarily the best. And yes, as mentioned, there's a precedent. Adam Riemann has done 3 self supported (and filmed) motonomad adventures on KTM 500s. Then there's Kiwi Aaron Steinmann who has ridden all over the world on his trusty 2015 KTM 500. That's more than 125,000km. So yeah, a kitted out Husky 501 would be my pic.

Seems like Yamaha have followed in the footsteps of KTM with an exclusive riding event. Tenere 700 Tour 2021: Top of the South In the event "Passport" they say riders MUST have a Tenere 700 to enter the event. That's even More exclusive then KTM's Adventure Rallye, which used to be for 640 Adventures and up, but now even includes the 390 Adventure as an eligible participating motorcycle. I must say, If was wealthy enough to have forked out $50,000 odd on a KTM 450 Rally, and they wouldn't let me participate, but someone on a 390 Adventure could, I'd be a little miffed. Fortunately though I will probably never find myself in that position

Sorry to hear this. I hope the healing process goes well!

How dare you bring cycling content to this thread on a cycling focused forum, haha But yeah a friend of mine was buying as selling used roadies and turning a nice little profit. Some really do sell for dirt cheap. I think he picked up a full carbon Trigon with Ultegra for around $900. Also reminds me, I have a squatter taking up valuable real-estate in your garage. When lockdown is over I must arrange to get it out of your way

A handy little 3D print for painting/varnishing/oiling smaller woodwork pieces. I guess I could have bought Painters Pyramids, but I'm in lockdown and my 3D printer wasn't doing anything constructive at the time

I think that's just it. People assume based on the demographic of the area and the school involved that Case M (21yr old student) & N (his mother) are Maori or Pasifika. However I was chatting with a friend last night that works in a government role that involves diversity and inclusion. She asked what instantly came to mind when I thought about those 2 cases and I admittedly did think Maori or Pasifika. Apparently they are white/European. I am not sure what her source is and I cannot find much evidence of the, besides the Ministry of Health's table showing that there is only 1 active Maori case and 3 Active Pasifika cases. So based on the numbers from the other recent and active Papatoetoe cases, it seems not all are Moari/Pasifika. The racial stereotyping is an real issue. Covid is seen as an ethnic South Auckland problem. On Sunday (1st day of this current lockdown), my partner went for a walk, with a stop at the local supermarket on the way back. We live in North Shore suburb comprising mostly of wealthy-white 50-80yr olds, and our local shops (New World) reflect that in a massive way. She said hardly anyone was using the Covid tracer app to scan in, almost no-one was wearing a mask. She was pretty disappointed. When she got back she asked me to go pick up some of the bulkier heavy items she was unable to carry on her walk. I went to a different supermarket Pak n Save), in a more diverse area. Older white people are generally a minority in this store. I would say Asian, Maori, Pasifika and Indian patrons make up 75% of the patronage. What was interesting about this diversity is that 85-90% of the people in the supermarket were wearing masks. 2 shopping trips. 30min apart. 3km apart. 2 very different responses.

I find the sailing coverage great! That comes from my Vaalie point of view where I know little-to-nothing about sailing, but the atmosphere and hype around the America's Cup here in Auckland is great and makes for an awesome spectators sport. Course A is just offshore from my local beach (about a 1.7km walk from home). Whilst I have not been down there while a race is on, my partner has and she said there was a great vibe. I am not really a person who watches sports on TV, but I have found the TV coverage of the race to be very entertaining and have watched a number of races. The graphics make it very interesting and understandable for the lay person. As for whether or not ETNZ are bigger than the All Blacks... Well, whilst the All Blacks have been at the top of their field for many years *(and I think even won a Guinness Record for the "winningest national team in any sport, I maybe be wrong though), I think because the America's Cup only comes around every 3-4 years, it's seen as extra special, whereas the AB's are playing rugby every season. I think back to the 2019 RWC and I definitely think there is more media hype around ETNZ than there was about the AB's back then. (Although that is possible because Auckland is hosting the racing this time) Additionally I have hear that when NZ won in 1995 the country went crazy. Granted NZ's rugby campaign that year was not as successful. But I believe much of Auckland's Viaduct harbour redevelopment was spurred by that 1995 AC win in preparations for hosting the following event. Here's a pic I took of the parade down Queen Street (main street in Auckland) after ETNZ won the 2017 America's Cup. I worked in a high-rise on the corner of Queen & Custom so had a good view. People were lining the street from over 3hrs before. Not bad for a work day. That said, I'd guess that the demographic of America's Cup support would be largely concentrated to Auckland and those from a wealthier socio-economic background. After all, it is yachting. Whilst much of NZ is coastal and the country does thrive on water sports, rugby is universal here. I've driven through small rural West Coast communities on a rainy Saturday morning, and seen 7 & 8yr old kids playing matches barefoot in the mud, with the simple grass field/paddock lined with supportive parents in their Swandris. Richie McCaw grew up in the tiny rural town of Kurow, with farming parents. Dean Barker grew up in the affluent seaside suburb of Takapuna (Auckland), with his dad owning one of NZ's top men's clothing chains. Which one is more relatable to the average kiwi?! Still though, Americas Cup is HUGE here right now, and I can't wait for the racing to start!

The bad and the ugly! So for those living in NZ you're probably well aware of the current situation around the Auckland lockdown. For those that may not know, Auckland went into an sudden Level 3 lockdown, announced last Saturday night (9pm-ish) and effective from 6am the next day. The cause was a new community case whereby a young man (21) who was supposed to be isolating, went all over the show, with symptoms and while waiting for his Covid test results His mother (same household) also tested positive, but with no clear epidemical link and based on his travels the government decided to lock down the city for 7 days. Turns out it was his mother that contracted the virus first after going for a walk with a member of another household during the previous 3 day lockdown (when they were not supposed to) BUT she intentionally didn't disclose this to the authorities, out of fear of the repercussions for breaking lockdown those 2 weeks back. The information was brought to light by the other household However, had she disclosed this initially, they would have seen that she contracted it first (not her son), that there was a strong epidemical link, and the city may not have been sent into lockdown. The 7 day lockdown is estimated to incur around $500m in losses. Not only is that a figure, but that is small businesses going under. Families unable to pay rent, buy food, etc. (despite the governments best attempts at a wage subsidy). Yet the government still steers away from introducing any form of punishment or fine for lockdown breaches or false information given in these cases. they are worried it will scare people away from telling the truth or coming forward to be tested. However, if I fail to declare an apple on a flight coming in from Australia (or anywhere else internationally), I get a $400 fine from biosecurity. No matter whether I intentionally didn't declare it (to try sneak it in) or I had forgotten/was unaware of it. So to stay on the safe most people declare ANY food products they may have and let biosecurity determine the risk. The worst consequence then is having that food confiscated, should it pose a risk. I think a similar approach can be taken with covid contact tracing. Cases should willingly share information, and can be encouraged to do so, under the offer of some sort of amnesty for most actions that may have caused the contamination (like 2 aunties going for a walk while they should be isolating and social distancing). BUT if a case purposely withholds or misleads authorities, they should face some sort of punishment/fine. Ultimately the authorities find out (just like the beagles at biosecurity), so pulling a sneaky should land one in hot water as the wider implications can be dire. Anyway, that's just my 2c as an Aucklander who it furious and frustrated that 2 tannies taking a walk together (when they knew it was prohibited), and one youngster going to gym right after his Covid test, has ultimately cost livelihoods (and possibly lives).

Looks like Havelock North has seen some serious increase in the last 12 months. Yikes!

Aliexpress finally delivered my BL Touch. I installed it and some Capricorn tubing last night. Installation of the BL Touch was easy. It was for some reason the fine tuning on my Z-offset took about 5 attempts. In the end though I printed one of TeachTech's big single layer X's and the results were great. Very even "squish" even after manhandling the printer and bed to install the BL. I added the G29 command into the G-code so a bed levelling sequence is run before every print. Adds 1-2min onto the print, but in the grand scheme of things it's not bad. Will give an update after a few months of use

Nice one Clippies! I never even knew Crocodile MTB park existed. Looks like it's further along next to the Adventure Park. May be the same owners/operators. So much riding in that area. Victoria Park, Bowenvale, Crater Rim, so many great trail areas. I used to live near that pink dot. Oh how I squandered my MTBing opportunities when I was there! As for Akaroa, that is an awesome place. I'll be heading down there in about 2 weeks time (Covid level dependent).

Fair point. I know that sometimes my tact and sensitivity can be lacking on posts about the good in NZ and drawing comparisons to life in SA. I need to be more conscious of that. I like that Wayne titled this thread "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", as it isn't perfect, despite what our glowing reviews may suggest. There are some very real issues here.

No Spruit! Seriously though, whilst there are hundreds and thousands of amazing MTB trails, in Auckland it's about accessibility and the 2 main places that Aucklanders ride (Woodhill and Riverhead) require about a 30-45min drive for most to get there. The Spruit was on the doorstep for thousands of cyclists. Also the prominent MTB disciplines here are not the same as the ones in SA. SA is very XCM focused. NZ is very trail and enduro focused. It's quite rare to see XC bikes out and about on the trails. Lycra even mores so. Plus there's the social aspect. Back in SA most would have had riding buddies to motivate when motivation was low. Now one needs to find new buddies. Easier said than done with Kiwis. Although I have heard a fair few Saffer accents (and even the taal) around the forests of woodhill. As for road cycling, no expertise there so can't comment. Other than that, it's as Wayne said, there are many many other outdoor activities. Whether it's seaside ones like SUP, kayaking, etc, or just accessibility to great walking and hiking trails. It's just different and I guess people try something new. I never had a motorcycle back in SA. I was scared enough to ride my bicycle on the road. In NZ I found that whilst motorists can still be dozy, they're generally not aggressive and take a lot more caution around motorcyclists. that combined with the bush/rural areas being a pretty safe places to be (from a crime point of view) made it a lot more enticing to buy a bike and explore on 2 wheels. Plus there's the social aspect. Back in SA most would have had riding buddies to motivate when motivation was low. Now one needs to find new buddies.

Snuck in a trip to the hardware store before work and picked this up Makita Bevel Guide for a track saw.

It's about scalability and proportion isn't it though?! A better comparison would be to compare how many motor vehicle license administration staff per licensed driver. If NZ has a higher ratio (due to the small population or whatever one wants to attribute it to), then it's possibly an issue that requires additional resource on SA's front to improve the outcomes. We all know how the SA government loves job creation so that shouldn't be a hard sell. If NZ has a lower ratio, then it's possibly a question of efficiency. Whether NZ is more efficient because they have allowed private entities (like AA and other motor vehicle testing centres) to administer the process, or they process itself is less bureaucratic, or the administration staff just offer better customer service. My guess it could be a combination of all 3 as we all know how little the average Department of Transport or Home Affairs employee actually cares about helping people out (a generalisation I know, but those services have a bad rap for a reason). Either way, I acknowledge that larger populations bring additional challenges, but they also provide a proportionally bigger resource pool. Most good practice models should be scalable. I once asked a seasoned pilot why a return flight from AKL to JHB costs 1.5x what a flight from JHB to AKL return does. He said it was because the pricing was based on the markets and what people were willing to pay. I see the principle of public services in a similar light. It's often based on what people are willing to endure/accept. If the provider can get away with it, then why change.

A little while back I was at a braai with at my partner's former boss' house. He used to be head of HR at companies like Starbucks (global) and Fonterra. (Now he's an executive director at EY). Anyway, he's a very smart and connected man and during a slightly beer fueled conversation he said something like 22% of all shipping containers leaving NZ are for Fonterra products. That's nearly 1/4 of all exports (by volume). He went onto say that the 2 most powerful people in NZ are the Fonterra CFO and some other Fonterra board member. as they are able to make decisions that will affect the whole country's economy, and ultimately kept NZ relatively stable during the lockdowns. As I said, this conversation happened after he was a few beers in, but there is likely a large amount of truth to it.

Marketing is definitely something they have done right. Like what other brands can anyone think of with such a diverse cult following. From gang leaders and thugs to middle aged dentists and lawyers to hipsters and everyone in between. Harleys are massive here in NZ. Indian has been trying hard to lure some of the Harley loyals over. Their TV ads contain phrases like "be original" and "think for yourself" etc. But they don't seem to sway too many minds. One thing though, if you are going to get a Harley and bling the hell outta it, you better be a dentist or a lawyer otherwise the tax man and police might discover that you're a drug dealer/gang leader This bike belonged to the leader of one of the NZ's 3 big gangs (or "motorcycle clubs" as they prefer to be called). Gold plated. His lifestyle drew attention to him and he recently got busted. He also happens to look a little like Karl Drogo, hahaha

A teenage boy could probably seat a tubeless tyre with a hand pump But yeah, I have a Giant floor pump with one of those High Pressure-High Volume switches. The High Volume setting works well for seating tubeless. The High Pressure is more for roadies or in my case I use it for the inner chamber of my dirt bikes' Tubliss system (which needs to be 100-120 Psi).