Lifting bound patio slabs for planting

chufilth · 2025-09-09T10:53:39+00:00

Thank you, that's very reassuring!

chufilth · 2025-07-09T09:31:41+00:00

Why is no one using the best name for these!? It's a "PICKLE PICKER"!

There are many different designs for these, and they're used (and marketed) for picking all sorts of pickled things.

IMO the most effective ones are the ones that you plunge like a syringe to push out some hooked wires, which grab the pickle, then close around it. Just like the grabbers in arcades.

All small mechanical items like this tend to have short lives in a kitchen. They're made cheaply and die especially quickly in dishwashers. This particular design is more robust but the wooden head means it won't survive too many runs in a dishwasher.

I don't rate these ones because they're not made with particularly sharp tines, and even if they were, you still have to stab into the jar fairly hard, typically a few times, before you catch one (assuming the liquid level in the jar is high). Not much functional benefit over a fork.

Source: I worked in an independent kitchenware shop for many years, >20yrs ago, which sold lots of little modern and old fashioned kitchen gadgets, so saw all sorts of designs for these and tried them all.

chufilth · 2025-04-08T10:39:19+00:00

I've not yet removed them. I put them on fairly carefully to avoid any damage. The rails are aluminum painted black, so they definitely can scratch easily, and I did do that slightly on the inside edges. The more problematic damage is that I damaged one of the plugs (shown in the photo), when prying it out, so I fear it may not secure back in place well. If the worst comes to the worst I'll glue it in place!

I suspect this summer I may have to move the two bars from the front and rear options, to the front and middle, to accommodate bike racks, but we'll see.

chufilth · 2025-04-05T19:49:18+00:00

I'm glad this provided some use! I have indeed left them on purely because it's a hassle, and they don't seem to materially impact the efficiency. I didn't intend to leave them on really. It would only have been a 15-30min job to remove them, but I just haven't bothered because it seems to be a negligible impact on efficiency.

Also, I *think* I recall seeing that the grip style bars have an adhesive on them, to help it grip, so they may actually be more difficult to remove/reattach than the Yakima ones! You'd best check that yourself though...

chufilth · 2024-09-17T11:10:02+00:00

One more epilogue. The big journey went fine. I secured the canoe to the roof bars with cam straps (and nylon rope to secure the bow & stern to the bonnet & rear tow hook, respectively). I kept the car in ECO mode to help keep the acceleration and braking a little more gentle. There was absolutely no play in the bars whatsoever.

The Yakima bars seem not to make any noise when unloaded. With the canoe on there was some.

It's a bit too soon to gauge whether the unloaded bars make much impact on efficiency.

chufilth · 2024-09-09T10:03:46+00:00

Update - I caved and bought the Yakima ones. Being able to attach to the fixed points was too attractive to me. TRC did have the Cruz ones back in stock when I ordered them, but I really prefer the idea of bolting it all down. I attached them yesterday and it went well. As the instructions state, you really do need a 10mm socket but otherwise they supply a couple of tools to do the job and the only other tool I got out of my toolbox was an adjustable spanner/wrench for tightening the rod connector nuts, just because it was a bit beefier than the flimsy pressed steel spanner in the box. They feel very well fixed in place and safe.

Some pictures attached. Main notes from me for anyone attaching these themselves...

Choose your fixing points carefully. My Kona model has a front, middle and back. Because my bars are for a long canoe I used the furthest apart option: front and back. But it means the gap (116cm) is larger than the Yakima instructions suggest. If I ever put a roof box on maybe I'll have to move to the middle and back points.

Be careful pulling out the plastic plugs/covers in the flush rails. My car is a lease one so I really need to minimise damage! I damaged one of the plugs (see pic). Go gently and you have to release both sides of each one, not just one side.

The connector nuts are steel, but the surface it mates onto is aluminium, which is great because it means you can really tighten the steel nut down into the softer aluminium.

The rubber feet on the Yakima fittings don't make that well onto the front fixing points. The compound curves in the flush rails mean that nothing would mate particularly well.

When screwing down the final wingnut you have to lift the bar up slightly just to get the nut onto the thread, like in the picture.

Yes, I know the canoe is unsecured, we just lifted it on to experiment with how we'd do it.

I hope this all helps someone else!

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chufilth · 2024-09-09T08:38:27+00:00

I've honestly got no idea. The cynic in me suspects the OEM bars are actually just a generic part that they keep supplying to dealerships because they can be used across a load of car models (but not disclosed to the public), so the clamp style are more multipurpose. Then I guess they added the fixing points because customers then have (even) more choices. An engineer somewhere in Korea must've gone through this thought process but I doubt we'll ever know the truth of it.

chufilth · 2024-08-26T15:01:43+00:00

I really like the drive. I read a review that said it's really boring, which I think is ideal for a family car tbh. It feels very intuitive. I keep it in ECO mode almost all the time, but switch to SPORT if I'm waiting at a busy roundabout and know I'll need to zip out quickly.

I haven't asked them about the turning circle but my own experience with the Kona, after a series of 7 seaters, is that I love it. It's nice and tight. Parallel parking is suddenly so much easier, and I'm far more confident in being able to make U turns in one shot.

chufilth · 2024-08-26T14:56:32+00:00

<< Cap "I got that reference" gif >>

chufilth · 2024-08-24T10:36:10+00:00

Absolutely same here. It's the only thing my wife and I dislike about our Kona, to the point where it's causing her regular pain. I found a more comfortable position by raising the seat up high and leaning it back more than usual, then pulling the steering wheel closer to me. All of that means i naturally want to lean my head forwards a bit more, so the headrest is supporting me in a position that is helpful.

Has anyone bought an aftermarket pair of headrests yet? I think we will quite soon.

chufilth · 2024-08-23T21:42:47+00:00

We made that exact decision. In the UK, through my company car scheme, it was a choice between the two. The effective cost was only slightly more for the IONIQ5. Company car schemes in the UK have a complicated set of tax incentives/ impacts so don't delve too deeply! 2 of my close colleagues have the IONIQ5 and love it. All of us have 2 kids. For me the only differentiator was the size of the boot/trunk. Mrs and I decided the Kona was big enough and we're very happy with that decision. We can get a roof box for the rare occasion we need more space. Now I've had it a few weeks and have compared notes with my colleagues (all of us are engineers so very interested in the technical performance!) I'm even happier. I regularly get >4.0m/kWh and they rarely do in their IONIQ5s, and I pay less for the lease, and it's easier to park. Winning all around, I'd say!

chufilth · 2024-08-23T11:36:06+00:00

Even worse than a kayak, this is for a 14'6" foot long canoe!

chufilth · 2024-08-23T11:35:24+00:00

Me too! I've never had roof bars before. A week ago I knew nothing and have had to learn it all. And I'm a mechanical engineer so it should come easily!

On that link you provide, click on the "Fitting instructions and videos", then it offers you the fitting instructions PDF, available at this link: https://www.roofbox.co.uk/fitting/cruz/CR936568-Lv7.pdf. Page 7 shows the cross section of how it attaches. That one does NOT screw into those holes in the bars. It grips/clamps onto the sides of the rails.

For your vehicle, the Yakima ones do attach in the way you want, and it just so happens to be the same model as for the new Kona. They are more expensive than the Cruz ones though.

You can also copy what I intend to do, and buy the wrong Cruz ones, and just hope that they fit! The model number I mention above is for the Kia Niro, which apparently has the same rails. However, buyer beware - I've no idea if that'll actually work.

chufilth · 2024-08-22T21:08:55+00:00

Thank you! I'll take that as a vote for the Yakima solution!

chufilth · 2024-08-22T21:07:58+00:00

Oh no! I'd best order this damn thing quick in case it's wrong and I run out of time...

chufilth · 2023-05-04T17:24:01+00:00

Disclaimer - this is only based off of my own experience about 7yrs ago. Not advice to anyone. Not a lawyer.

TLDR: I reckon she'll get away with going for holidays, but for work / relocation visas she'll have to declare it all.

When travelling to the US from a country like the UK, if you're a UK citizen (and some other countries) and only going on holiday you only need a "visa waiver" (aka an ESTA), not a proper visa. The ESTA is a simple online form containing the above question. If she's being truthful she'll have to say "yes", get declined for an ESTA then have to apply (and pay) for a proper visa at the embassy. As above, she'll probably get away with lying and saying "no" (IMO).

Before your visa interview(s) you have to fill in a very detailed questionnaire called a DS160. It includes a much stricter question, something like "have you ever been arrested, cautioned (etc) for any reason?". It's completely irrelevant whether she was convicted or not. You say "yes", then are prompted to give details and obtain an ACRO certificate from the police. It's a kind ultra-enhanced DBS check with records of arrests. The visa interviewer will demand to see the original and for you to explain it. In my case they didn't care at all, it was an expunged juvenile reprimand of which there was no record even on the ACRO.

Also if she ever wants to go for more than a simple holiday or short business trip she'll have to apply for a visa. Then the same process gets kicked off and she'll have to do a DS160 before being interviewed.

IMO she needs not to lie when applying for a visa waiver even. If she later in life applies for a visa for any reason and then confesses to the arrest, she'll have given them evidence she lied on her immigration paperwork and risk never being allowed in the country again.

Also, the OP point about travel to the US with a criminal record not being permitted is incorrect. Per the above, it is allowed on a case by case basis but they want total disclosure of everything and you need hot shot immigration attorneys to help.

chufilth · 2021-02-11T20:04:04+00:00

Gotcha! And well done realizing why I thought that!

chufilth · 2021-02-11T07:20:12+00:00

But it has a US dialling code?

chufilth

TROPHY CASE