u/thepencilmeister

Been looking to purchase these since December, but everytime I checked their online store, they appear as sold out.

Message them over IG, but received no reply whatsoever.

The first time I laid eyes on this beauty I was incredibly excited by the fact that at some point in its history Staedtler manufactured an all-metal lead holder, and yet, I was quite confused as to why it had the Noris-branding instead of the more apt Mars Technico denomination.

If you know anything about Staedtler’s product lineup you might be aware that the Noris brand is used in conjunction with school-grade materials, while Mars Lumograph and Mars Tecnico was reserved for professional art and drafting supplies.

Still, that knurled grip similar to the one used on A.W. Faber USA-made Locktite 9400 lead holders convinced me that this could be the Staedtler I’ve always dreamed of.

When the lead holder arrived, I was a bit disappointed out of the fact that it was far lighter than I anticipated. So much so, than even the ordinary Mars-Technico lead holders with metal grips and plastic barrels were far heavier than this one. After researching a bit more on this item, I finally came across its history. Turns out this is a rebranded and slightly modified Eberhard Faber slate pencil that was made in the late 1960’s. Hence the Noris designation. The factory that manufactured these was later acquired by Staedtler.

It is quite a rare lead holder and I’ve never seen it for sale outside of Germany.

Metaphys developed the LOCUS series in a ballpoint, mechanical pencil, lead holder, and multi-pen. I like it best as a 2mm lead holder. The ratchet mechanism is very nice, not unlike a rOtring 800 2mm pencil. The finish is just a simple tube of metal, enameled in a choice of black, silver, or white. It looks like it could be either really light (plastic) or quite heavy (fully metal). They must use a mix of metals, to include brass, stainless steel, and aluminum. It's a nice weight--feels like quality without being too heavy for long writing.

I also have the matte silver version, with a couple of photos added in the gallery above.

He’s Duxi, my 5 year old little Chiwi. He posing with uncle Bubba whom happens to be part of his security detail whenever he’s out on a walk. Needless to say, not many dogs dare come close to him. He on the other hand, loves to brag about his fighting powers LOL

Per request, here’s a couple more photos of my old little girl. Thank you for all your comments and upvotes!

This little girl has been with us for the better part of 16 years now but she’s been in the family for over 21. We love her!

In this photo you can see a pair of lead packages from the early 1900’s that contain leads in 2.5mm size. On the left Staedtler Mars Lumograph leads in 4H grade while on the right you have a package of Dixon Eldorado leads in 3B.

The lead holder on top, is an Eagle 861 introduced in 1879 that was manufactured in two different versions, this with a 2.5mm clutch meant to be used for copying leads and another version with a 2mm clutch meant for graphite leads as seen on Allan Mac’s wonderful website here

Interestingly Eagle Pencil company later dropped push-button activated clutches in favor of the screw-to-lock type as seen in their lead holders up to the 1950’s. This might have to do with the fact that the patent for the system was awarded to a German company as noted by the D.R.P imprint on the button. Below the Eagle 861, is an Eagle Spear 868 propelling pencil from around 1910 that uses 2mm leads. It looks quite primitive in comparison even thou it is 30 years younger.

I checked up this the look of this TK9400 lead holder online and found that it is not identical to any model I could see…

I doubt if it is fake…

Can anyone have a look and make some judgment?

Thanks!

Been using my Lamy 2000 extensively ever since I got mine a couple weeks ago. In that short span of time I cannot help but marvel at all the design details that closely follow on the “form follows function” philosophy of the Bauhaus school that Gerd A. Müller used as the basis for his designs.

The piston knob that blends into the barrel making it almost invisible; the brushed finish that goes from the stainless-steel section back into the Makrolon body. The semi-hooded nib that allows for a tiny amount of flex that adds a charming line variation to your writing -even in F size. The spring-loaded clip and the reassuring way the cap clicks on its place, all this combines to make this pen quite a unique one in my stable of classic icons and modern-day pieces.

If there is anything on this pen that introduces a bit of noise into the equation, is the step down into the barrel when the pen is capped. Also, and as is the case with many hooded and semi-hooded nibs, you need to be aware of the nib’s position to avoid inconsistent writing.

Otherwise, this is a marvelous writing tool!

Ever since I saw one of these in the flesh, I wanted to have one. When I was actively looking for it, a good deal never crossed my path. Then after a couple of years of not even trying, I found this uninked brand-new Lamy 2000 with an F nib for sale with a 55% rebate on it. I immediately pulled the trigger!

Truly impressed by the amazing writing experience and the all-around wonderful design of this pen. I’m a happy man now.

Found this pen abandoned in a pencil cup in 1996. It was my daily driver until 1999 when I moved to another city and somehow lost sight of it. Back then, other than the fact that it was a Lamy, I had no idea of the model or any other details about it. In the small town I lived, not a single stationery shop sold the cartridges for this pen, so I had to syringe the only cartridge I had many, many times over. Sixteen years later, while visiting my brother, I found this little girl in… yep, another pencil cup!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it. It was sort of like meeting a long lost friend!

Unfortunately, many things went sour in my life back then and the pen just got cleaned and stashed away until a few days back when I decided to ink up it again. I was blown away by the smoothness of the original unmarked stainless steel nib (medium, I guess). Compared to other entry level pens that I own, this nib feels closer to a Montblanc, than to a Parker Vector in terms of smoothness. It has great flow and the cap (with a brass finial) seals pretty well considering this pen is almost 40 years old.

Welcome back my little Terrarot friend!

After several failed attempts, I finally managed to swap the nib on my Kaweco pen. I switched to a Wahl-Eversharp Skyline-sourced fine flex unit from a Demi-sized body coupled to the standard Kaweco plastic feed.

The process was quite a challenge. First time out, the nib wasn’t getting any ink at all. Then by modifying the feed I managed to get it to write, but immediately starved the minute I flexed the nib, meaning it needed much more flow. After following a tutorial I found somewhere on this reddit, I managed to improve things a bit, but then broke the feed in two!

A later attempt, resulted in me overcutting on the nib and rendering it useless. But third time’s the charm and I finally got it working in a pretty reliable way. It still railroads from time to time but overall am pleased with the performance. The pen‘s character has changed quite a bit, from a pretty mundane experience, to something that just makes you want to write!

Certainly a much better result than paying €250 for a Kaweco gold nib. Seen someone did a similar swap here before but with a manifold. Anyone else been down this path?