Monday, January 26, 2009

Stapler of the Week Archive- Novus B 22

Novus B 22 steel two tone grey and chrome finish

Novus B 22 box printed cardboard

There seems to be a pattern in my stapler collecting. A lot of my favorite staplers designs come from German designers or manufacturers and Novus has been making staplers there since 1949. Along with Novus, Leitz and the previously featured Elastic are some other German stapler manufacturers of note. The Novus B22 is a straight-forward design, staples load in front by operating catch in rear, conversion to tacking means merely opening up the stapler and switching from staple to pin requires only to move the anvil in the desired direction. Nothing too fancy here, but the muted greys are soothing and very pleasing to the eye.

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, January 26, 2009.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Stapler of the Week Archive- Hotchkiss 122A & 122-P

Hotchkiss 122-P steel chrome and grey finish

Hotchkiss 122-P box cardboard with printed paper label

Hotchkiss 122-A steel, pot metal, and plastic black finish

Hotchkiss 122A box printed cardboard

Here is a comparison of two different versions of the Hotchkiss 122 series manufactured in two different eras. I first consulted my wife/resident objects expert regarding the 122A and the first words out of her mouth were, "war-time relic." Rationing applied to all the essentials of life such as food, clothing and yes even stapling. I've seen Swingline staplers from the same era made from similar materials including bakelite and even wood. The 122-P by contrast has very little in variety of material. It's design is the same with the exception of it's plier stapler foot, but the construction is a bit more refined. A comparison of the box designs is also of some interest. The 122A box is simply printed cardboard box whereas the 122-P has a two part box with a printed paper label attached. Another example of this style of box can be found with the Hotchkiss No. 52, Stapler of the Week, January 19, 2008. All in all two very interesting staplers and as the nickname "Bantam" suggests, they're small yet powerful.
Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, January 19, 2009.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Stapler of the Week Archive- Arrow 210

Arrow 210 green and chrome finish

The Arrow 210 was introduced to me last fall by a fellow stapler enthusiast but I hadn't come across an example until recently. The 210 was most likely designed and manufactured in good old Brooklyn, NY and has a few really interesting features that sets it apart from other desktop models. The most interesting has to be the anvil plate which is triangular in shape and offers not just two but three staple settings: staple, pin and temporary staple. Staples load from the rear, the top opens with the release seen on the side and to top it all off, instead of simply hinging open for tacking, the entire top comes off. Another notable feature of this 210 is the area on top of the stapler holds a plastic plaque which could be engraved with your company name. On the whole it is quite a nice desktop stapler.

Excerpt from The Stapler of the Week, January 5, 2009.