Well my KX arrived this morning, I'm very pleased with it. Not yet officially available in Australia and sold out in most places from its initial release I'm glad that I got the one with the brushed dial, it enhances readability and looks nice too.
I've not actually ever used a NATO strap before and can report that while it does indeed look a bit chunky its at least comfortable on the wrist (if unbalanced and annoying to and remove). Indeed its the first watch I've found doesn't foul the keyboard. So I'm inclined to leave it on while typing ... and thats a first in my life.
Expect more on this fine watch. Meanwhile if you don't know the watch this is a good review (not mine):
Now I've only had metal bracelets for so long (I've had the Sports 100 for well over 30 years as my only watch) and wearing this little Seiko has made me find that fabric straps are actually nice. I thought I'd try and find a similar nylon strap for it . So I went off to eBay and bought a new strap for AU$15 (so not much). This is them below. Its perhaps evident that the Seiko 5 has a 18mm strap while the Sports 100 a 20mm strap.
I must say that I immediately found that I preferred the strap that came with the little Seiko 5, which apparently receives some criticism for not having a good strap. Strange that people expect more than a $15 strap when they buy a $130 watch which actually comes with a strap too ...
The differences in quality are perhaps even visible here with the side stitching almost invisible down grooves in the Seiko fabric, and plain to see on the strap on the Sports 100.
Note that the SNK strap curves a little having formed already to my wrist, this is not so with the strap on the Sports 100 which just feels like stiff nylon. The red circle there indicates that the strap that I bought has a "tool less" spring bar which you can just open with a fingernail. I don't mind, but its clear that there was some less than ideal cutting of the fabric which you can see below.
I expect that will fray over time. Also you can see the straight and perhaps even coarse nylon strands in the weave and so you can get the impression that its not as soft feeling (and probably no stronger) than the standard band on the Seiko 5 (and after all its normally not the strap which breaks).
Here I've laid them over each other and you can see that not only does the Seiko 5 strap look nice it can form to your wrist directly as it comes out of the watch, unlike the other strap which has a section of vinyl (fake leather) on it.
One gets the impression that while the eBay strap is sturdy, and stiff (as it won't flex up there at the fake leather), but indeed may well fall apart before genuine one on the Seiko 5. As I mentioned above the stitching is discrete and safe from abrasion and wear.
As well the buckle pin holes are nicely re-enforced. Lastly I'll say that the new strap feels somewhat sweaty on wrist, while the one from the Seiko 5 not ever.
So to augment this I've added a quick video to show you around both a bit more.
Personally I'm finding that having the new strap on my Sports 100 has given me what seems to be a new lease of life on the old companion, and the strap that came with my Seiko 5 has clarified what I should expect from a low cost strap (because it can't be expensive given it came on a cheap watch).
So, my mate got a new skateboard and wanted to test it on the roughest track close to down. Calls me up "did I want to come" ... silly question really :-)
this is at a cattle grid while I was waiting for him to walk up the hill ...
then I had to carry that bloody thing across that. Suddenly the skateboard seems more sensible.
Further up the track was this nice little grove, there was a kangaroo there but he buggered off before I could wield the camera.
So this is the route:
with elevations like this:
Only the steep bit was track, the rest was dirt roads, similar to this ride.
Today at lunch I thought I'd take the Pajero over the track to give a better idea of just where the MX60 can go.
and I thought I'd update this blog post with me doing it on the MX60
I've often said that there are more ons than offs ... which is a touch of irony I like to employ because morons have their brains off.
I'm watching this whole thing unfold and see that my views are still intact.
people are too stupid to understand
all the contact tracing is nothing more than an interesting circus and will break down completely (due to lack of manpower and testing) when the current (very low) rate doubles (and we'll still be lower than the Ewe Ass Ah).
the media by turning everything into an escalation of hysteria for the last (at least) 10 years have formed people who go to the media to dose back up on why they should remain hysterical or turn off completely and think everything is overblown (see "Henny Penny" effect)
Last night I watch a bunch of elderly people (also known as grey nomads) sitting around together in a huddle talking about the fear of being on a ventilator. Yet them being in a big group in a huddle isn't a source of any fear? How do they think this spreads?
This thing (the virus) is the soldiers that swarm out of the horse (story of troy) and you and your friends could be the horse.
I expect that this will only turn around when enough people know 2 or 3 who've died (do the maths on what that infection rate means)
Hold on to your hats (and masks) friends because (I fear) you an't seen nothing yet
(*shit show brought to you by a Dunning Kruger sufferer near you). And as long as division engines of social media (who are only interested in click counts, not your welfare) the people like this will run the show
