Radius
The Radius brand is the one which is known for the highest quality SAFIS production, and is usually identified with this company. It was joined by the Astura brand, used for the second tier production. Though less known, it is the production of one of the most important Italian companies, and Radius pens, like its predecessors The King, are, at least for the production that took place in the golden age of company, of highest quality and have nothing to envy to the production of the most famous italian companies like OMAS or Aurora.
With the competition due to the gradual spread of the ballpoint pen on the market, the quality of the production, especially in the last years of the company, got much worse, but after the war, the Radius has continued to produce good quality celluloid pens until the '50s, and the production of this brand is still of great interest collezionistico.
| Radius |
|---|
| Brand pages |
| Brand advertising |
| Brand photos |
| Instructions sheet |
History
Around 1934 "The King Società Anonima Torino" was renamed in "Società Anonima Fabbrica Italiana Stilografiche", because of the policies of forced Italianisation of names carried out by the fascist regime,[1] which made it unattractive to use an English name. It is not known when the first pens Radius appeared on the market, and at the moment the only certain date is that of the trade mark registration (Reg. Gen. N. 50489) which occurred in 1934 by the new company, which is why we take this year as its starting date.
The Radius initial production was divided in two lines: the Superior for the more valuable high-end pens and more valuable, and the Extra for second tier pens sold at lower prices. The Superior line remained in production, with different stylistic and technical changes, including the implementation of Trasparente version, until the '50s, while the Extra line was decommissioned in the late '40s, replaced by other economic production, such as the Comet and the Radius 31, hooded nib models of much lower quality than its predecessors.
Negli anni '50 infatti (almeno così compare in questo catalogo) alla linea Superior, che nel frattempo aveva assunto linee affusolate seguendo le tendenze stilistiche del periodo, vennero affiancati modelli più economici come la Comet (con un pennino alato molto simile a quello delle Montblanc 25x) e la Radius 31, un modello a pennino coperto di qualità nettamente inferiore ai suoi precedessori. Nello stesso catalogo si nota la presenza di un ulteriore modello, la Fortune 38, chiara imitazione della Pelikan 400.
Chronology
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1934 | SAFIS register the Radius trademark (Reg. Gen. N. 50489) |
| 1935 | the company introduces the Radius Extra (guess date, stands for the mid '30s) |
| 1941 | the company introduces the Radius Extra Trasparente (guess date, stands for the beginning of '40s) |
| 1941 | the company introduces the Radius Superior Trasparente (guess date, stands for the beginning of '40s) |
External references
Notes