Travelling to USA next week - what toy/device should I pickup ?

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Travelling to USA next week - what toy/device should I pickup ?

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#2312604 8-Sep-2019 07:59

Some brands make clothes specific for outlet malls, and will use a lighter weight fabric with the same pattern. It’s best to not consider them them same as what is sold in NZ. They can still be worth getting.

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#2312736 8-Sep-2019 10:37

afe66:
Dear GZers,

I'm heading to USA next week and was wondering what the masses think I could/should buy when there.

One thought is battery pack which compatible with rapid charge of samsung s9+. Memory cards ?

What do you think?

A.

If it's a case of "I have lots of spare room in my suitcase(s)", rent out the capacity for others wanting to get stuff that won't ship to NZ :-).

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#2312739 8-Sep-2019 10:43

Taking a frequent discussion topic in the Home Workshop forum, you can get a much better selection of quality tools in the US than here, particularly with the few remaining made-in-USA heavy-duty tools where you'd normally get made-in-China stuff here. One example is Dubuque Clamp Works alu bar clamps, which are the only ones I've seen where you don't get the feeling you could snap/tear them with your bare hands.

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#2312748 8-Sep-2019 10:53

Shadowfoot: Some brands make clothes specific for outlet malls, and will use a lighter weight fabric with the same pattern. It’s best to not consider them them same as what is sold in NZ. They can still be worth getting.

I’m sure that’s right. However some years ago we brought home a black Ralph Lauren polo shirt for our son - purchased from the Polo Ralph Lauren store in a US Premium Outlets mall.

It was the wrong size and we thought ‘game over’ - but he had the initiative to take it to the PRL store in Newmarket (Auckland) with our receipt for the purchase. They said ordinarily they probably couldn’t do anything but because it was part of their international basic/essential standard range and colour, they were happy to exchange it for his correct size. Presumably they just put his shirt back into stock.

Totally blew us away - did not expect that - and full credit to them.

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#2313125 8-Sep-2019 17:06

neb: Taking a frequent discussion topic in the Home Workshop forum, you can get a much better selection of quality tools in the US than here, particularly with the few remaining made-in-USA heavy-duty tools where you'd normally get made-in-China stuff here. One example is Dubuque Clamp Works alu bar clamps, which are the only ones I've seen where you don't get the feeling you could snap/tear them with your bare hands.

Now this is something I hadn't considered !!

Currently I'm try to build a skeleton clock which also involves setting up workshop. Got a lathe from trademe. And slowly building up things from internet. Most recent pride and joy was finding a myford dividing attachment

Its tricky to find a shop with metal working bits and bobs.

Will google, thanks.

A.

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#2313139 8-Sep-2019 17:54

I’d specifically buy anything that you need that would usually sting you hard out on shipping due to weight or size - of course, taking into account limits you can take on your flight back of course. I’ve often wanted to buy things overseas as they are a lot cheaper, but then add freight and it almost doubles the price (like a Parilla engine for my go kart for example!!)

Enjoy your trip :-)

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#2319551 18-Sep-2019 06:45

Speaking of bringing stuff back... Trigger warning: Some people may find the following images upsetting.

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#2319552 18-Sep-2019 06:48

neb

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#2319554 18-Sep-2019 06:50

About half the store was Bosch green. Of the remainder, a good percentage was Bosch blue.

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#2319555 18-Sep-2019 06:53

What was really depressing was that the sort of stuff that's usually custom-order from specialist places in NZ was just hanging on the walls there, e.g. Spax fasteners and Japanese saws...

Need to figure out if I can charter a Boeing or something on the return trip.

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#2319558 18-Sep-2019 07:05

neb: Speaking of bringing stuff back... Trigger warning: Some people may find the following images upsetting.

Nope. It seems you have been in one of our standard hardware stores (according to the advertisements you found a German 'Baumarkt' from the 'bauhaus' chain).

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#2319571 18-Sep-2019 07:39

Yeah, it's just a Bauhaus, but the range leaves the usual Mitre10/Bunnings/whatever for dead.

Reason for visiting was to get a large plank to replace a workmate's brand new still-in-its-shipping-carton curved monitor with, then re-seal the carton and hot-glue it up so it'll take him half an hour to realise the contents have been swapped out. Because that's what office mates are for :-).

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#2319583 18-Sep-2019 08:54

Went down the clothes route.

Just arrived at airport to discover been rerouted so its lax for me.

Apparently the reconstruction at SFO is causing delays (who would have guessed that...)

Having said that entering us via lax was an anti climax using kiosks and flying solo so will be interesting to see what the outward transfer experience is.

All my bookings have been wiped from anz app so have no idea what's going to happen. Arrive lax 2100 so its nz5 at 2230 as doubt nz1 at 2140 is doable.

If they offload me onto a non anz flight I'll be annoyed....
Will ring ANZ to get idea of what's going to happen.

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#2319584 18-Sep-2019 08:56

neb: What was really depressing was that the sort of stuff that's usually custom-order from specialist places in NZ was just hanging on the walls there

Yup. Also applies to shoes; in the US, wide fittings seem to take up about 10-20% of wall space. Here, none at all.

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#2319591 18-Sep-2019 09:05

More than 20% Americans seem wider too. ;-)

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