Good design you love to have

Not sure if the key was Audi or vw first. I had one on my (?) 1997 or 1998 new beetle.

R

Someone popped this up on here a while back, urged me to run out and buy one straight away! It doesn’t peel off your keyring and is near indestructible. Quite a sexy wee number too!

Eames Splint. Picked one up recently on craigslist. Very inspiring Good Design.

In one simple object, it shows-

  1. Low cost/high volume doesn’t have to mean compromise.
  2. Simple can be smart. A lot of built in functions for “free” reduces complexity and need for additional parts/fasteners.
  3. Material innovation. Use of new wood molding techniques can drive all the above.
  4. Functional can be beautiful. As great as it functions, it is also sculpturally beautiful.

R

How come I never see an Eames splint in use or with straps on it? Just an observation…

What are you going to do with it Richard? I hope your legs are OK!

I think the straps were part of the Army field kit or a stock item and not part of the splint itself. Splint was wrapped in paper and then in boxes. Funny thing is actually that those that are wrapped and sealed cost more, but you ruin the value if you open it, so all you can see is a bulky thing wrapped in paper.

I actually had the opportunity to buy one still wrapped as well, but seemed like overkill to have 2.

I’ve got it hanging on the wall as a sculptural piece.

R

That was the only 'in-use" photo I could find on Google too. Strange.

I did see a bunch of images of it wrapped. It reminds me of when I was a kid collecting comic books. I’d buy two every time they had one that came sealed. One to read, one just in case it became valuable.

Well, I’ll say one thing, it’s certainly big; you wouldn’t find it in a field corpman’s kit. Perhaps never seen with “straps” because cravat bandages were everywhere.

Another Eames product manufactured by Evans.

1945

and still around

What happened to the Flair pen?

For the first time in a long time, I bought a 5-pac the other day at Office Max expecting the old stand by. But they don’t feel right; the body is a bit “flexy” and hard to hold onto and the longitudinal grooves on the body, that made the original so positive to control, are gone, replaced by a matte finish. Different plastic compound perhaps; PP instead of ABS?

@LMO:

I can vaguely remember seeing the top kind in stores recently too but can’t be sure. IIRC it had a smaller nib too, like a ultra-fine Sharpie, so maybe they sell both?

Products I love are:

  1. Starck Puma Paris V shoe (in dark gull grey/yellow)
    I owned these once and after 5 years of quite intensive wearing they were done with. Best shoes I ever had, I love the style (yes it’s European but so am I) , the look and feel of the rubber sole, the durability and the ease of slipping in and out of them.
    Unfortunately they’re out of production, if anyone knows where to get a pair, size 10 please :slight_smile: and I will pay a good amount.
    Starck puma.jpg
  2. Lamy Vivo pen
    Quite an iconic design for a pen by Konstantin Grcic. He minimized the amount of parts needed and it’s a very robust and affordable pen. My favorite pen by far. I personally thoroughly dislike Bic pens, especially the ‘crystal’ type shown by someone else here, for the main reason that I tend to bite pens when I’m thinking, so it cracks and the sharp stuff gets into my mouth and I can throw the pen out as well :slight_smile: usually after a few hours already. So it’s metal pens for me.
  3. iPod Nano 2G
    The late great design professor Kees Overbeeke gave it to me as a gift in 2007, I’ve been using it a lot and it still works besides 1.5 rows of pixels having died, and I had to replace the top cover with some Sugru so I can’t lock it any longer. But other than that I love its simplicity, durability, and the tactility of the wheel and button.
    nano-2g.jpg

Nothing like the classics………

Just recently taken up DE (Double Edge) “Safety Razor” shaving (“shaving how your grandfather used to do it”). I’ve now literally got my grandfather razor.

A gold plated Gillete Executive 1958, D-3 Dated TTO (Twist to Open) Adjustable DE Razor. I’m in the process of getting it refurbished by these guys (http://razoremporium.com) with new 24K Gold plating and full mechanical going over, lube, etc… They even repaint the recessed numbers on the adjustment dial!

Can’t wait to use it. Supposed to be one of the best DE razors ever made, was good enough a design to last for almost 50 years (predecessor is the Aristorcract c. 1934) and with refurbishment should last for another 50, easy. Not to mention ~$1/blade, none of that $30/pk/4 Mach5 stuff. 9 step adjustable for more/less aggressive shave, flip open to mechanism to change a blade. And looks awesome.

…of course paired with a Silver Tip Badger brush and some good Prosraso cream. Varying blades to start. Have tried Personna red, Merkur, Wilkonson Sword, and Feathers on Deck.

R

(pics are from a similar ebay listing, but mine should be even better after replating).





Richard: That is beautiful.

What’s with the numbers?

It’s adjustable.

Turning the dial adjusts how much of the blade is exposed and the gap between blade and guard. This gives you a more or less “aggressive” shave. Pretty smart system. Haven’t tried it yet, from what I hear allows you to really customize the shave experience. For example, more aggressive on a face shave with the grain, and less on a neck shave against the grain.

R

Very cool.

I’m sure there’s a bit of a learning curve and you probably need a bit more time in the mirror to do the job. But I suppose it’s a bit like making coffee or rolling cigarettes, where the ritual of the action is half the fun.

surprisingly didn’t take too long to pick up. First go was a bit dingy though, but after 3 times, no issues. Yes, half the fun is the act. I do full face and head in the shower. no mirror :slight_smile:

Want to maybe graduate to trying straight razor (face only!) sometime…. that’s badass.

R

Outstanding purchase R!

All I really remember about those razors was the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports theme song on the Friday Night Fights that dad used to watch … I was seven.

Wow. I got something old that lew doesn’t know all about?! Haha. :slight_smile:

R

I had to dig this back up…

I am using an old Flair, the one with the grooves, and it is working so much better than the new kind. Not only is the exterior different, but the nib on the old one is just better (I am sure you have experiences this too!). Hard to describe, but it is blunter, which makes drawing or writing smooth, bolder lines a little easier. I can only get a hairy mess with the new style.

This got me thinking, so I did an Amazon search and found that an engineer who loved the old Flairs had a similar experience. Apparently, they sell the new ones but with the photo of the old ones:

I remember trying a Pilot recently and my mind was blown, it was everything wonderful about the old Flair (no joke). I believe it was the Razor Point, but looking at them online, it seems the Pilot Fineliner is the better one with the nice broad nib. There may be hope after all, I will have to try it (image below). I also love that Spencer Nugent’s sketches are half of the Google image results…




So, R, four months later, how’s that double-edge been treating you?