Der von STAEDTLER Deutschland bis 1990 produzierte Druckbleistift MARS-MICROGRAPH F 770 1x1 kehrt zurück. Unter dem Namen F 770 1x N wird er von STAEDTLER Japan ab Ende September in vier Strichstärken zum Preis von knapp 10 Euro, aber ausschließlich auf dem japanischen Markt erhältlich sein.
Beim Design hat man sich an der zweiten Generation des Stifts mit etwas kürzerer Spitze gehalten, bei der jede Strichstärke einen eigenen Blauton hatte. Den Fotos2 nach hat die Neuauflage3 eine feinere Rändelung des Griffstücks als das Original und die Ringe für die Strichstärke nicht mehr in der Mitte der Spitze, sondern näher am Griff. – Dem 1978 eingeführten 770 F 1x kommt eine besondere Stellung zu, war er doch der erste Druckbleistift von STAEDTLER mit gerändeltem Metall-Griffstück und Härtegradindikator.
- Mit x = 3, 5, 7 oder 9 für die Strichstärke in 1/10 mm.↩
- Im ersten Foto sieht man als Dekoration lose Blätter des Kinderbuchs „Anne of Green Gables“ von Lucy Maud Montgomery aus dem Jahr 1908. Warum hat man das gewählt?↩
- In der Meldung heißt es (maschinell übersetzt): „Es gab einige Teile, die mit der heutigen Technologie nicht hergestellt werden konnten, so dass es schwierig war, sie herzustellen, und schließlich wurde er in diesem Jahr neu aufgelegt.“ Ich frage mich, auf welche Teile des 770 F 1x man sich damit bezieht.↩
Wonderful news! I would really love to have one of those in my stash. Honestly, I kind of prefer the German design ethos to that of the Japanese, specially regarding Staedtler (prefer the 780 lead holder to the 925 for example).
Quite weird to read that they couldn’t reproduce certain parts with “modern technology”. Guess what they really meant to say is that modern technology is unable to replicate certain craftsmanship abilities that cost-cutting bean counters made sure were lost forever.
What’s your take on the Hexagonal mechanical pencil from Staedtler Japan?
Yes, that really is wonderful news!
I don’t know if you can really compare the 780 with the 925 x5 20. The design of the 780 dates back to the 1970s and that of the 925 to the 2000s (and 30 years is a long time). In addition, both have a different mechanism and a different application background.
I’m not sure what they really mean with “couldn’t reproduce certain parts with modern technology” but I’m pleased that they have at least tried to make the pencil as true to the original as possible. – I’d love to disassemble a new and an old 780 F 1x and to compare them! And I wouldn’t be surprised if the new version had a simpler construction and was a little lighter.
At first I was very interested in STAEDTLER’s hexagonal pencil but the but so far the chatty labelling and the rubber (?) coating has put me off, also the fact that they made the blue one a limited edition. This Lumograph-like design shoud have been the standard version! However, the material and workmanship quality is said to be very good so maybe I’ll decide to buy it after all. Do you have one?
Not comparing them, I simply prefer old-school Staedtlers than the modern Japanese versions.
And yes, am sure the new 780 F will be lighter and simpler. But will it be better?
Ordered the Hexagonal pencil, but I saw a few reviews that alert about paint-chipping issues, and the click mechanism having some issues. So I cancelled the order and went for the Drehgriffel. Let’s see how good that one is.
Yes, the are really old school, and I’m happy that they have retained the basic design of the 780 and are still offering this classic leadholder.
The old 770 F 1x had a few features that could be improved. For example, the metal of the handle did not age beautifully, but became unsightly in some cases. The plastic used for the barrel discoloured quite quickly when exposed to sunlight, especiall the light blue of the 0.3 mm variant, and if I remember correctly, the lead advance per click was quite large, which was not so practical, especially at 0.3 mm. So there is a possibility that the new version is an improvement!
Paint chipping and issues with the mechanism? This sounds bad, and it’s not something you would want from a big-name manufacturer. However, I suspect that these were isolated cases because I haven’t heard of these problems yet.
I’m curious to know what you think about the Drehgriffel!
That’s a shame. My ‘70s TK-Fine pencils are defect-free. Both those with metal grips and those with plastic. I was hoping for the 770 to be the same.
Plastics of the 60’s and 70’s tend to be quite a risk. Have many pens and pencils from that age that either discolor, deform or crack with time. For example, I own a couple of Mexican-made Pelikan Pelikanos that found NOS. When I started using them, I noticed that after a few cartridge swaps, their sections started to leak, upon closer inspection, it turned out to have developed tiny little cracks close to stress points that grew with continued use. I no longer use them, which is a shame cause their stainless-steel nibs, which are German-made, write beautifully. I keep one in untouched condition, thou.
As for the Hexagonal, paint chipping might be isolated, but there are many comments on Reddit and some Discord chats that speak of a problem extracting lead. There seems to be a rubber component on the tip that fails eventually. Also, the grey version -which is the one affordable and available to me, is kind of underwhelming.
The Drehgriffel comes tomorrow. Will let you know my take on it. BTW have you seen or used the Staedtler 766TRX mechanical pencil? Seems to also have a knob-turning mechanism as Leuchtturm’s and is made in Germany.
Regarding the barrel cracks: I was only referring to the M5-50 Hi-Pitch and the TK 9555 (fortunately mine are OK); I haven’t encountered cracks in other old Mitsubishi and Faber-Castell pencils.
Yes, old plastic can offer many unpleasant surprises. Incidentally, a small eraser crumb recently stuck to an older STAEDTLER MARS 780 over night and reacted with it, leaving traces (I suspect it was the plasticiser in the eraser). – I’m sorry to hear about your Pelikanos. What a pity!
I will try to find out more about that issue with the rubber part in the tip of the STAEDTLER Hexagonal; it sounds like it’s about the lead retainer (which would be very annoying). – And yes, the grey version looks pretty boring.
No, I don’t know the STAEDTLER 766TRX since I don’t use 0.7 mm and don’t like such distinctive three-sided designs. I wonder which mechanism it uses.
That is an amazing news! I really wanted to buy one, but the current price for this old pencil is very prohibitive.
I hope they start to bring back their old pencils.
If they decided to make a comeback of the 925 95, it would be like my dreams coming true!
The Drehgriffel is finally here and I’ve been using it for almost two days now. I’m a bit ambivalent about the platic grip and knob, but otherwise the pencil feels solid and balanced. The build quality is top-notch and the Rising Sun color I choosed looks astounding. The mechanism works quite reassuringly. I was thinking it would be like a propelling pencil, but the knob only rotates a limited amount of turn and in one-direction only and yet works surprinsingly well.
The only thing am not much of a fan thou, is the refilling process. You practically have to disassemble the whole thing to get to the reservoir. Lead size is not going to be fo your liking (0.7) but it doesn’t bother me.
All in all, I don’t regret my pruchase. BTW as a cultural note, Griffel translates to Grifo in Spanish, at long last I will remember the name of the damn pencil! LOL
I’m currious about the TRX, may give it a try. Will report back if I get my hands on it.
Aluisio Fernandes:
Yes, that’s really amazing! The old ones are indeed expensive, and while the MICROGRAPH F 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm can be found now and then, it’s rather difficult to get one in 0.3 mm (let alone with a barrel that’s not discoloured).
This post on X confirms my impression that the knurling on the F 770 1x N is much finer.
The 925 25 9x is in great demand among collectors, and maybe they’ll notice and do a new release.
Guillermo de la Maza:
Thank you for sharing your impression of the Drehgriffel! The refill process sounds really annoying. – The orange hue used for “rising sun” is very appealing!
By the way, do you know the Monocle edition?
“Grifo” is great :-)
Yes, the Monocle edition caught my eye because it’s all metal. I might give it a try at some point. I know you are not a fan of thick lead, but wouldn’t you be able to replace the inner mechanism with an 0.5mm variant?
I understand Schmidt manufactures such a replacement.
I’m pretty sure there’s a way to turn it into a mechanical pencil, but in this case I’d rather use the ballpoint version and buy a Jetstream refill. – Yes, there will certainly be something suitable from Schmidt.