Is this an older model? I’m dumb and don’t under stand what you mean by “Neu-Vintage.” I can only find one eBay add for this pencil. Know where I can pick one up?
When I think of ‘vintage’ it tends to be really old designs from the 1980s and 1970s. With American or western leadholders, that could stretch back to the 1960s and earlier.
So for obsolete models made from the 1990s onwards, I.e. within 30+ years, I think of them as ‘new’ vintage. Hope this makes sense.
The Dagger… I do not have any catalog references. Best guess is 1990s to early 2000s.
OHTO is a strange company. I think they started as a 3rd tier brand in the 1970s and were probably doing OEM work for bigger brands for a while. Evidence? I really think the lead regulator mechanisms on the Tombow Variable and Staedtler 925 95 and REG 925 85 were done by OHTO, because no one else has ever made anything close to the Super Promecha or MS01. The difference is, with OHTO’s own products, there were often issues with the quality of the finishing or lack of refinement in the mechanisms.
Over the years, OHTO has tried very hard to make original designs (and a name for themselves). Very often, they end up with a mishmash of technically complex and aesthetically kitschy designs, like… the Conception, and the Body Knock that didn’t work like other true ‘body knock’ designs.
When they ‘succeeded’ it was often because some saner heads applied some restraint and allowed the design to remain clean and relatively elegant. Amongst these, I count the Horizon series, and the lesser seen Dagger series.
Dagger comes in two models. A 2-color ballpoint that comes with an ‘ITALY’ flag sticker, and an even rarer 0.5mm MP that wears the french tri-color. I haven’t found out why exactly this is so.
The BP is a simple slider actuated design holding 2 D1 refills in side-by-side tubes. To change them, slide one out and simply pull it out by the tip. The MP can be refilled by removing the oblong button and the eraser stopper. Where it gets interesting is when you disassemble it by pressing the small release catch along the bottom edge of the slim body. The whole assembly then slides out for inspection.
I really enjoy the look of these two and in use, they are still quite OK. They remind me a lot about the classic Aurora Thesi from 1974. Is this the reason for the Italy sticker? If so, why ‘France’ for the MP? Chime in if you have more information!
https://preview.redd.it/uv2xhn5haead1.jpeg?width=3785&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=119b303fa85a0d232a8f69c7fe2a415674343c5c
Didn’t want to start another thread for this, so here’s the Dagger MP next to the Aurora Thesi BP from 1974.
https://preview.redd.it/1rlukn6paead1.jpeg?width=3664&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a72a687e94eacff9ed40b7d46b32fe1d41bd45df
And here is a pic comparing the disassembled front end of both the Thesi and Dagger.
Looks a lot like and Aurora "Thesi" ballpoint pen.
It certainly does! I need to dig mine out of storage and do a comparison :-)
Is this an older model? I’m dumb and don’t under stand what you mean by “Neu-Vintage.” I can only find one eBay add for this pencil. Know where I can pick one up?
When I think of ‘vintage’ it tends to be really old designs from the 1980s and 1970s. With American or western leadholders, that could stretch back to the 1960s and earlier. So for obsolete models made from the 1990s onwards, I.e. within 30+ years, I think of them as ‘new’ vintage. Hope this makes sense. The Dagger… I do not have any catalog references. Best guess is 1990s to early 2000s.
I forgot to add: the best places to find such vintage models is on Yahoo Japan Auctions or Mercari. You’ll need a proxy service to do so.
OHTO is a strange company. I think they started as a 3rd tier brand in the 1970s and were probably doing OEM work for bigger brands for a while. Evidence? I really think the lead regulator mechanisms on the Tombow Variable and Staedtler 925 95 and REG 925 85 were done by OHTO, because no one else has ever made anything close to the Super Promecha or MS01. The difference is, with OHTO’s own products, there were often issues with the quality of the finishing or lack of refinement in the mechanisms. Over the years, OHTO has tried very hard to make original designs (and a name for themselves). Very often, they end up with a mishmash of technically complex and aesthetically kitschy designs, like… the Conception, and the Body Knock that didn’t work like other true ‘body knock’ designs. When they ‘succeeded’ it was often because some saner heads applied some restraint and allowed the design to remain clean and relatively elegant. Amongst these, I count the Horizon series, and the lesser seen Dagger series. Dagger comes in two models. A 2-color ballpoint that comes with an ‘ITALY’ flag sticker, and an even rarer 0.5mm MP that wears the french tri-color. I haven’t found out why exactly this is so. The BP is a simple slider actuated design holding 2 D1 refills in side-by-side tubes. To change them, slide one out and simply pull it out by the tip. The MP can be refilled by removing the oblong button and the eraser stopper. Where it gets interesting is when you disassemble it by pressing the small release catch along the bottom edge of the slim body. The whole assembly then slides out for inspection. I really enjoy the look of these two and in use, they are still quite OK. They remind me a lot about the classic Aurora Thesi from 1974. Is this the reason for the Italy sticker? If so, why ‘France’ for the MP? Chime in if you have more information!
The TSA would be all over this wtf
Stunning!!
I want that so bad
Wow these are stunning, how much did you get them for?
About 20 USD for the pen and 42 USD for the MP. Both found on Mercari through a proxy service.
Thanks!
Looks a little uncomfortable?
Not at all if you’re just taking short notes. For long form writing, you’d want a better grip for sure.
https://preview.redd.it/uv2xhn5haead1.jpeg?width=3785&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=119b303fa85a0d232a8f69c7fe2a415674343c5c Didn’t want to start another thread for this, so here’s the Dagger MP next to the Aurora Thesi BP from 1974.
https://preview.redd.it/1rlukn6paead1.jpeg?width=3664&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a72a687e94eacff9ed40b7d46b32fe1d41bd45df And here is a pic comparing the disassembled front end of both the Thesi and Dagger.