Kleiner Spitzer ganz groß: Der Nr. 231 von Möbius+Ruppert. Das genaue Alter dieses Magnesium-Spitzers kenne ich nicht, doch da das Logo auf seiner Rückseite bis 1992 genutzt wurde, ist er mindestens 20 Jahre alt; das Messer stammt wohl aus aktueller Produktion. – Unnötig zu sagen, dass mir seine Form sehr gut gefällt.
Nachtrag vom 16.3.12: Ich habe erfahren, dass es sich bei diesem Spitzer um ein Muster vom Anfang der 80er Jahre handelt. Der 231 wurde mit dem Ziel eines möglichst geringen Materialverbrauchs konzipiert, ging aber nie in Serie.
Great photos! I’ve never seen a sharpener quite like it. Are M&R’s current blades compatible with this sharpener, or is it resigned to a life on the shelf due to an irreplaceable blade?
Thank you! I haven’t swapped the blades yet but as far as I know (and have quickly measured) the blades are compatible. – By the way, the blade stays sharp very long. Now and then I hear the recommendation that it needs to be replaced after a few pencils but this would be a waste (of course it depends on the quality of the steel but to me the products of Möbius+Ruppert are beyond all criticism).
I’ve also read that a sharpener’s blade is only good for a few pencils, but dismissed it as nonsense. As you say, it’s also incredibly wasteful, and my M+R grenade has done many times that without becoming noticeably impaired. My F–C UFO blade is in need of replacing after several years’ of use, but I consider that a good run.
It’s a shame to hear this never went into full production. I like both its unusual shape, and its goal of minimising the amount of material required to manufacture it. It’s much more interesting than the standard wedge shape.
Speaking of M+R: they appear to have terrible distribution in the UK. The only place I ever saw their products for sale was the now-closed stationers I used to frequent. Other than that, and the occasional grenade on eBay, they’re nowhere to be found, which is a real shame because they have a really interesting range of products.
You were right with dismissing the replacement recommendation as nonsense. The M+R blades have HRC 65, and this makes them very lasting.
M+R had several other shapes that aren’t in production any more (or have never been) but I was told that in quite a few cases the tools still exist so if there is a costumer who will buy a certain number of sharpeners an old model can be produced for him.
Thank you for letting me know about M+R’s terrible distribution in the UK – I will tell M+R about it.
I am reading through this encyclopedia of striking, mind blowing, astonishing, ‚you name it‘- facts on pencils, sharpeners, erasers and other gems. Since I only started visiting the blog at the start of 2013 I still have a lot of wonderful material to read. Reading backwards … So today I stumbled on the Nr. 231.
OK, as a consequence of the above notes by Lexikaliker (all machines /manufacturing tools are still at hand we only need orders), I would like to order 20 pieces of the beautiful Nr. 231 by Möbius+Ruppert. Anyone else interested? Let us start our own crowd funding platform. It is no problem for me to pay in advance.
Wowter, thank you very much for your kind words! However, I don’t think that I deserve them since there are so many details I don’t know and have to leave out.
I wish there was a way to revive that sharpener (or another, e. g. the Janus 4048). More than once I have asked M+R about the minimum quantity and the costs to be expected but I haven’t got a reply yet. Maybe it is because I am not a business customer …