Staedtler 4000: sculpture lost in time


My attempt to show the twist sequence from closed (black), to mid-turn (stone) and deployed (wood).


Closer look at the Mars Head logo; when the pen is deployed, the clip is blocked by the lower half.


All 3 in closed mode, face-down.

The Staedtler 4000 Capless Roller was launched in 1996 and won the iF Design Award the same year. It’s a cool twist design with two semi-rounded halves that rotate so that the flattened sides align to allow the pen to rest on your table top.

The original refill is a plastic bodied Euro-format rollerball, designed to be used without a cap. This is similar in concept to the rollerball refill used in the rOtring Jazz from 1994. I guess this was a trend during that time…

Initially, I’d gotten a plain black version around 2018 through an auction. I loved the design but could never find the ideal MP to go with it. Instead, it found a place next to a Pelikan Twist and a rOtring Rive, both being ultra curvaceous designs.

My first surprise was finding another 4000 in 2022 in a faux stone finish. This one, I paired more easily. And then this year, I spotted another 4000, this time in faux woodgrain. I guess, knowing that it’s a facsimile of natural materials can be a minus for some but for me at least, the form makes up for everything. Looking at the trio, I honestly can’t tell they are almost 30 years old. Best of all, I can use almost any modern Japanese gel refill in the Staedtler 4000 – Pilot G2, EnerGel, Surari – the actual realization of the ‘capless roller’ concept.

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O M G always amazed to see how vast and varied is your collection! I had no idea these existed!

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Thanks! I’d like to think I’m channeling the same sense of WOW I had when I first saw them :slight_smile:

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They are indeed a very modern minimalist design that looks intriguing in each mode (deployed and retracted). I’d never heard of the 4000 before. Each color way is attractive. I’m probably most partial to the stone color.

Gorgeous photos, too! I really like your lighting technique. :trophy:

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Thanks, Gary. The funny thing is, I have moved on with my career and left behind the familiar studio environment where I’d shot so many of my pens and pencils over the last 7-8 years. So I have faced some challenges replicating the set-up at home. Finding a similar rough powder coated steel surface is headache #1. Getting a ideally positioned diffused light is #2.

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Did you change careers or had just changed companies? Yes, home setup can be tricky, depending upon available space. You could spray paint a firm placemat or other material using a color option that looks like powder coating. I tend to like thin velvet, as it doesn’t bounce light and helps create diffused shadows.

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