BigDL

Got the new watch today. Still need to explore the capabilities, battery life etc, but initial impressions are that it is stunning, really well made and intuitive

Thought this was a decent review. His “who is it for” bit at the end is pretty good Another good review

Thanks - It is a beast, but beautiful

Thought I'd share a bit. Been working on a project for the past while (paused for the last week as I've been sick as a dog) - to build an outdoor counter. Started with a massive (4 metre) piece of fairly fresh wood (Monterey Cedar) and no idea of what to really do. Lots of youtube later and I built a base for the counter Cut my countertop piece to 9almost) size and spent lots of time sanding. After lots and lots of sanding, I decided that I wanted to use the other side, so flipped it and went to work again. Once all of the holes full of rot and bark and stuff were clear, needed to then learn about resin, so back to YouTube. Some of the holes were significant in size and went right through the wood, so had to block in three areas of the underside with some creative use of wood, tape and silicone. Built small dams around the top side of the holes (some more effective than others) and then poured the various mixes of resin (4 pours in total for some of the bigger holes) and then left them to cure. So, next task, once I'm back on my feet, is to sand the resin, sand the table and then treat with a UV protecting oil. After that, need to work out how to cut and finish correctly to fit on the base. Hoping to get it all done in the next couple of weeks,

I have the 530 on the bike and use the Garmin chest strap because it seems to last really well. For me, the iPhone, the Apple Watch, the HomeKit and the AirPods work so seamlessly together that the Apple Watch makes sense, but then I also don't do multi-day adventure events and stuff. I also work for Apple, so am maybe more personally invested in the products.

Garmin make awesome devices. Apple make awesome devices. I use both for different purposes and rate them awesome in different ways. Both have a reputation for standing behind their products and for constant innovation, so device choice can be down to personal preference, preferred ecosystem, personal use case etc. I always laugh though when folks think that rubbishing another product somehow will make their choice seem better. There’s plenty of preferences out there and each person makes their own choice.

You ordering one then?

In the UK you get a two week no questions asked returns policy on Apple products, so I'm keen to wear the watch for a week or so and see what it feels like. You also have a couple of weeks to send in your old watch for trade-in so, worst case, I can just return the new watch and keep the old one.

Depends what you want to get out of it I suppose. The dual band GPS, the incredibly tough and chunky build, the buttons, the multi-sport options, the dive computer, the dive watch style straps and the longer battery life all appeal to me, none of which are available on the standard 8. Having said that, I hardly find time to ride my bike at the moment, let alone go on epic adventures.

I'll need to have a look and see if there's anyone that offers that nearby, although the wood os pretty softy so rotary sander is not a big chore. Have to pour epoxy into the holes in the wood on Saturday, which should be interesting.

I've ordered one for delivery 23 September. I have the benefit of staff discount so thought it was worth a try. Looks like a massive step into the serious sports watch market and I am looking forward to trying it out. I do have the benefit of staff discount so am not paying full price, but I'm keen to try it out. Compared to the Fenix 7, it's financially a no brainer, although doesn't have the same battery life.

The saw is a Dewalt - Doesn't cut all the way through the slab, but deep enough (maybe 80%) for me to finish off with a handheld saw. That benchdogs site is a treasure trove. Need to finish this project though before I start thinking about what else I can do. Having some challenges with the Belt sander with a 120 grain belt, jumping a bit. Have moved to my small Makita sander to see if that's better

Good video - thanks

In theory, yes, but my mates use my trailers regularly and nobody changes plates. Cops don't seem to care at all ref trailers

Trailers here are unregulated so don’t need to be registered. You’re supposed to use your car details on your trailer for traffic cameras and stuff. I’ve got three trailers, all with my car reg on (actually my wife’s car 😂).

Them and their ilk are truly the Antichrist of lending. They prey on desperate people and tie them into such massive interest amounts that they basically force them to keep taking loans every month and paying more massive interest.

😂 that's a full length box - bad angle and bad photographer. Was some fun getting that piece out of the trailer when I got it home. Involved a tractor with a fork attachment, chains and a "creative" approach to Health and Safety.

I got one from a guy on FB marketplace - still in the box, maybe 50% of retail. Still had to halve the price if anyone at home asked what it cost.

Started a project to build an outdoor counter a while back and finally decided to use a big hunk of live edge wood as the counter top. So, went last week and bought a 4 metre length of Cyprus to start working on. My mate turned up on the weekend with some tools for me to use, one of which was a track saw. Never used one before, but they are amazing. Was going to use the chainsaw but the track saw was precise and super neat. Now I can't stop thinking about why I need one.

Battery - Can't go wrong. My Makita is the business

Lol - Was cutting back some (very thick and invasive) ivy with mine on the weekend. My wife asked why I wasn't using the hedge cutter - first answer was "because I have a chainsaw".

I entered a 5 day mtb event in Italy in 2020, which was cancelled due to covid. Cost per person, including mechanical support, bike cleaning, hotel accommodation (not sharing) , pasta party each night and hotel breakfast / food stops etc, was around 400 Euros. Medal and a t-shirt at the end. Edited to correct price. Was less that I had remembered.

Not really comparing Apples with Apples though - Sani is mostly single track that is purpose built. Local communities are paid to man feed stops and cater the overnight stops, which, when I last did it, were exceptional food. Local Schools and community groups are financially supported as well. Munga, which is an awesome concept imo, is on existing roads / tracks and requires far less infrastructure than Sani

I have a massive barn / Farm shed, but have managed to fill it with trailers and ***. Have a small gym area for the turbo trainer and the rower, a workshop area and about 4 million tons of wood that Ive cut and stored, which seems to grow every time a tree goes down, which seems to be happening quite often due to Ash dieback disease. My biggest issue is getting time and weather to organise the space, but that hasn't stopped me continuing to fill it

Decided to do something I never thought that I could and build the counters and cupboards for my outdoor kitchen. Watched a lot of YouTube last week and built the frame for the main piece on the weekend. started off using a handsaw and then my jigsaw, but couldn't get consistency or straight edge (with the jigsaw). So took the plunge and bought a Mitre Saw. So useful and suddenly more projects seem possible to me. 54FF2E98-4784-445E-9534-73992B30CE02.heic54FF2E98-4784-445E-9534-73992B30CE02.heic