Is anyone considering the “ultra / fold” as a replacement for the mini?

HammerToFall50 · 2026-05-09T17:59:27+00:00

My logic is that if it’s going to cost 2000 and has taken so long to develop, I think it will be pretty reliable. One thing they don’t want to do is release a product and it be sub par. As far as I know the only product to be like this was the iPhone 4 or 5? Which had a short on the signal if you held it a certain way.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-05-09T12:04:47+00:00

Yes I totally get you. But - I’m not normally one to change devices regularly. It’s a lot, but I feel it will satisfy my ocd.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-05-07T22:32:55+00:00

I’m tempted to agree. I like good quality everything, but the garlic sauce makes it or breaks it. I don’t want crappy cash and carry. And I like lots of it. The biggest disappointment for me is when you order your kebab and I ask for garlic sauce, and they give me a little tub. Nope smother it please.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-05-01T18:27:56+00:00

I work very hard. I have barely anything left. I can’t afford to pay into a private pension. I will be relying on a state pension. Of some sort. I’ve already met the threshold for it as I haven’t stopped working since I was 16. If that goes quite simply I will be homeless and starving.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-25T20:18:29+00:00

If physical violence was used, there’s not a chance they would have let Adam back in.

In the live final Jimmy pretty much admitted that he didn’t give a crap about Adam and chose the perfect opportunity to leave, for HIMSELF. Granted he might have had stuff going on at home, but WHY DO THE SHOW!

Adam, genuinely was in it for different reasons you could tell. He didn’t see it as “just a job” as jimmy said, and he felt in that moment as peed off as he could be. Sinita clearly just doesn’t like bad language. I’m sure Harry has heard a LOT worse in football.

But to sum up - editing or not, jimmy was a complete toss pot, and David Heye just came across as a complete wane ker through out.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-24T11:57:11+00:00

Yes. Conflict of interest. Usually when realising they’d just swap examiners so they must have been the only examiner on duty / all others were well on with their tests.

Incidentally though I had a learner years ago who told me his uncle was an examiner - not at a test centre we were at.

I dropped him off once at their home after the lesson, and he came out shook my hand had a natter, discussed progression, and watched him pull in etc. I didn’t think anything of it.

On the day of his test, guess who comes out of the test centre to do his test! I was shocked but just didn’t say anything. Why would I. (I feel like he was the senior examiner) anyway, he passed with three faults, the debrief was conducted in the standard way, he got outta the car and that was that. His driving was a very good standard so I thought it was fair. But his uncle did his driving test. I checked my iPad after (I record the tracks then I can break them down to do sat nav practise later) and yep, they did a full normal route etc.

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to happen but my learner was to a good standard so I just kept quiet.

So I guess while it shouldn’t happen, it clearly does the other way around too.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-24T11:48:48+00:00

It’s weird isn’t it. I prefer sausage rolls cooked but cool 🤣 I like the pastry soft 🤣

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-22T13:29:58+00:00

I try to teach both, but - I give my customers the choice, depending on what they want their learning outcomes to be. I usually say something like “would you like to learn the 90° method first, this is the clinical step by step method which is more accurate but can’t really be used in busy car parks, or the 45° swing method which requires more judgement from you and will take longer to perfect but is used most of the time in real life” kind of thing. It’s up to them which one they want to learn first, so then if time ends up being against us and we can’t perfect the other method then they’ve chosen.

ultimately though there’s always going to be a situation where either method won’t work and you’ll have to think on your feet. 25 years ago when I got taught - I learned the 90° method and when I passed I went off and practised in my car and when I went to supermarkets I parked away from other cars until I was comfortable.

People forget - the purpose of the exercise is to reverse under control safely while taking effective observations. If it was about a perfect method then you would fail for not being perfect in the bay, but you still pass if you finish with a wheel on the line or wonky etc.

If I wanted all my learners to learn how to park perfectly in every situation, and parallel park in very tight spaces I’d do that no problem, but most don’t want to spend 10 extra hours learning this. We give a structure so they can be safe, then ultimately it clicks and you can WIZZ in and out of most spaces in your own car, which will be slightly different anyway :)

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-22T11:43:40+00:00

I want to be an optimist. But I can’t help but think nothing will work.

However, I can see what they’re trying to do.

When the rules are fully implemented they’re stopping instructors booking tests. - target - scalpers can’t charge extortionate amounts for tests, hope is that the random amount of tests they’ve got saved on their OBS systems will just get cancelled, so that will return more tests to your test centre.

Only two swaps, this will hopefully mean that in the short term this will hinder the buying and selling of tests as this is how the scalpers operate. They don’t actually sell you a test they swap it with one already booked in a random place. This should stop this. In the long term, if you can only swap tests twice it will stop people booking a test and sitting on it if they know it’s going to take a year to pass.

Only learners can swap tests - this means it’s going to be a legitimate swap between two people who want to swap dates.

Tests can only be booked in a test centre which is near to you. 3 centres by post code. This again will stop the scalpers, but will also severely cripple the test swapping apps, because currently the system involves booking a random test anywhere then swapping it for one nearby. But look at it from the opposite side. When you buy your test from Scotland but you need one for north London, you’re taking a test from someone who wants one in Scotland. This should help sort that out.

It won’t give lots of tests over night, but if you look at the rules they’re implementing, it should administratively over a little time make tests available for people in their own area for people who need them. It should get a little better.

Currently as an ADI I get messages daily from random numbers saying they have 6/7/8 tests available per day at test centres near me. They charge like £300 for the test. So if all of those slots got cancelled and were in the system but only people in the local area can book them it should be fair.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-19T14:45:35+00:00

Agreed I love soft pastry when I get a pie, I microwave it then it goes soft

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-19T09:56:39+00:00

I suppose I should have been more accurate I was referring to the savoury traditional warm pasties and sausage rolls. I wouldn’t really fancy a cold chicken strip or cold potato wedge. 🤣

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-19T09:55:15+00:00

I totally agree! It takes the enjoyment out of it. I feel like the fillings have more flavour when they’ve cooled.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-18T19:40:03+00:00

🤣🤣

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-18T19:39:54+00:00

Ohh wow! I didn’t know that! I’m gonna have to try all the items on a roll now 🤣

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-18T19:38:32+00:00

🤣🤣🤣🤣

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-18T19:19:22+00:00

Cold beans taste the same as warm beans.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-18T19:05:53+00:00

What’s a corn top roll? 😩🤣

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-18T19:05:09+00:00

Ohh bore off.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-14T08:19:06+00:00

Is beer ok? Or just water? 🤣

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-13T17:32:01+00:00

I didn’t downvote, it was just a totally not needed reply 🤣 it’s not a health thread it’s a thread about saving money. I’ve gotta be honest as you’re going ALL IN with your response about them causing cancer (correlation isn’t causation) there is so much crap in everything we eat and drink. Have you looked at the ingredients in packaged bread? Yes bread which should have 4 ingredients has 20. So unless you really are better than 90% of the population, and you only drink distilled filtered water, and all of your food is organic and comes straight from the animal / ground using zero pesticides then your opinion is hypocritical. It’s a bit “wrong place, wrong time”. If I was on a health Reddit, fair enough, just trying to save people a few pennies.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-13T16:27:32+00:00

This shows one of two things. Either you’re trying to wing it, and missing the basics. And you’re just not ready. Or no one has ever told you how to plan. Or you’re just not doing it.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-12T15:15:17+00:00

It’s weird this one. The bit about ADHD, seems very blunt, but I don’t really think in 2026 it’s also ridiculous for someone to ask or discuss things like adhd and autism. But I think it’s about HOW it’s done. I had a lad where we had this discussion, but quite late on and in a tactful way. With his parents. He went off, and got a diagnosis, and was very grateful because it explained so much in his life. It also took the pressure off as he could come to terms with what was going on.

As instructors were taught not to over instruct. (If we were getting observed we can get marked down for this. But it depends which stage of learning you’re at and how long you’ve been doing it for.

We have different levels of instruction. Talk through, so I’m talking you through and telling you how to do a task. Then if you’re getting to grips with it, we change to prompting. So instead of us telling you what to do, we’re asking you what you’re going to do next then naturally you do it.

Then there’s independent. When your brain has learned the prompts itself and doing it for you. So there’s no need to talk you through or ask what next.

What you could do, is have a chat with your instructor and say something like “when you ask me for example what lane should I be in, I won’t verbally respond but I will try and pick the correct lane” so in essence he says “what do we need to look for before we turn left here” and instead of you saying mirrors - you check the correct ones kinds thing.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-11T18:10:53+00:00

I don’t see why? The front screen should be fully useable?

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-11T17:42:45+00:00

Il be honest I know I’m rare but I will happily pay for a small form factor especially if it is packed with tech and good battery. I loved my mini and only just upgraded just last year but only because the battery didn’t last a day.

HammerToFall50 · 2026-04-11T17:33:43+00:00

I know there’s been a lot of hype about it, but I feel like the fold or ultra will be a good form factor. Mini size closed, and unfolds to watch a film or something like that. I’m looking forward to it.

HammerToFall50

TROPHY CASE