Hi everybody! I hereby evoke the experts in the field travelling through and across this board, in order to settle a couple of questions I have been pondering about since the moment this sub-category was opened.
Here are my doubts, in no particular order â the main theme is: short & stubby 2.00 mm lead holders:
Apart from the marvellous KIN 5627 (smooth body, short 2.00 holder), are there any other non-knurled holders in shorter size from the brand? I know of many with hexagonal barrel â e.g. 5328 without rear pointer, and 5338 with rear pointer â but not that many in round form. Also: how many holders did KIN make during its glory days? New product codes for old models keep on cropping up, and I fail at finding comprehensive catalogues.
Has Caran dâAche ever produced a short (or even long) round leadholder? I have converted a non-functional Ecrifix 24 pen (?) into a magnificent lead holder, but I hope there is a cylindrical-barrel model out there â short or long, it matters very little at this point.
(Partially off-topic, but since we talk about super-short modelsâŠ) Has ever been a clip-less version of the Caran dâAche Ecridor XS? I can only find models with a soldered clip, but I hope to find one item with a standard removable clip.
Is the KIN 5991 âToison dâOrâ for 1.18, 1.8, or 2.00mm lead cores? My model seems to best accommodate 1.18 lead, even though it was sold in a box with some 2.00mm lead.
Which were the short models produced by Baignol & Farjon? I think I remember a 237 (with removable clip), but I think there were more, maybe even for larger lead â the âBullâ model?
What would you consider the best short clutch pencil ever made?
Is it just me, or it seems the Japanese big companies never truly jumped on the bandwagon of short 2.00mm lead holders as the European brands did? Any counterexample to prove me wrong?
Thank you very much @lsd300 for the compact but evocative reply; a couple follow-up questions/comments, while possibly someone lese wants to jump on this track for further exchanges on a topic I find particularly fascinating:
The pencils in the first picture, upper portion, seem colour variants of the same model, but⊠are they really the same? They all look like KIN 5627, but given the known love of Koh-I-Noor for variations, I would not be surprised if I discovered that they are, in fact, different models (also, that creamy white piece is gorgeous!)
The Baignol & Farjon 235! I had missed that one, but it surely looks fantastic. I may make an exception for that one, it seems a hexagonal barrel with the same appeal as a round one;
What in the world is that black, round, short Criterium in the second picture? Seems like a 2613, but the proportions are a bit off. I am afraid I am falling in love â againâŠ
As much as my eyesight is slowly but steadily declining, that one is very hard to miss. So beautiful, so unique: the shorter cousin to the 2513, perhaps?
Not much (Euro vintage) to contribute here. Tombowâs early H-100 Clip might qualify, as well as the newish KIN 5608 ânotebook pencilâ⊠especially if it has the older style of markings. And of course, the modern Kaweco Special Short 2mm⊠the original vintage Sport models are something Iâd love to get a hold of someday.
Very cool selection! The âtinyâ one, of course, is catching my eye, but the Ecobra compass insert (âbleieinsatzâ in German, I think) is very nice indeed: I have many compass inserts for thin lead pencils, but the Ecobra one is still on my list, even though I have to admit that it is much more common than others.
The last one on the bottom, perhaps made of bone or ivory, is an antique piece only for the bravest. extra-cool stuff as always.
PS: I may have located an Ecridor XS â or close to that measure â in 1.18, but I am waiting for the parcel to arrive, as it might be just an Ecridor S; it does not sport a silver finish for sure, but as soon as it makes it to here, I will get back on the Forum and offer pictures for some feedback from che Caran dâAche experts.
Thanks for bring the XS upâŠwas sort of oblivious to its semi-uniquenssâŠand found one buried in the vault of âotherâ pencils. (canât only have leadholders..maybe..)..seems to have the first gen clip..it is 96 mm short
Yeah, it is indeed a super-nice and extra-cool pencil: I found a newer one NOS in a pen shop in the city (with its box, papers and leather sleeve), and an older one â much cheaper, to be fair â at the latest Pen Show nearby; the older model had a somewhat looser pocket clip, which I managed to pry away without damaging the pencil itself, so now I have one of the coolest short MPâs to pair with another one from CdA, the extra-short Criterium, and a couple of other âanti-size-queensâ from Pelikan and Kaweco. I love these crazy-small pencils, especially when they are able to retain the proportions of their regular cousins without looking silly, and instead gaining even more personality.
I really hope the CdA Ecridor I found recently is an XS in 1.18, but I have so many doubtsâŠ
Quick reply here to report about the Ecridor I found:
It is most likely a gilt Ecridor S, not XS (or one with a golden coating): the length is somewhat in the middle between my extra-beloved XS and a âstandardâ Ecridor â provided that such a thing exists;
It is indeed a 1.18mm model, which at once confirms that 1.18 shorter variants did exist at the time, just not for the XS lineup (only rollerball, FP and MP, apparently);
It is really unusual to write with, as the length is not as compact as the XS, and yet not as âcompleteâ as the one of a more standard pencil; it vaguely reminds me of the Kaweco Special S in 2.00mm, but slimmer, with sharper corners, and a six-faceted barrel.
I always say that I will post some pictures, but my phone camera is fighting my ambitions at taking actually decent shots in any possible way, shape or form, so no promises here, only hopes.
Still looking for a metal counterpart to the Criterium 2313, if this rare oddity exist (and it is a big âifâ); also, thanks to @Gunther , I discovered that there seems to be at least two variants for the KIN 5608: one with the usual, counter-tapered rear end where the clip can be secured via a screw-top (see e.g. here), and a seemingly âplainâ version without the clip, but still with an integrated sharpener, which I happen to find impeccable.
Any more insights about the other open questions is always welcome!
