View source for Radius/en

<noinclude>[[File:Radius-Logo.svg|center|300px|Logo 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.{{Infobox_Brand|Radius}}{{BrandData|Place=Torino|Country=IT|MainBrand=SAFIS|Fullname=Società Anonima Fabbrica Italiana Stilografiche}}
== History ==

[[Image:Radius-Extra-Piston-Instr.jpg|thumb|A '50s [[Radius Extra]] instruction sheet.]]

</noinclude>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,<noinclude><ref>Letizia Jacopini in his book ''La storia della stilografica in Italia'', reports the testimony of Bruno Milocani and Emilio Pionzo indicating the shift of production from [[The King]] to [[Radius]] around [[1935]] right for this reason.</ref></noinclude> 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 ({{Marchio|50489}}) which occurred in [[1934]] by the new company, which is why we take this year as its starting date.

[[File:Radius-Superior-Faceted-Lever-Big-StriatedGray-Capped.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Radius Superior]]]]

The [[Radius]] initial production was divided in two lines: the [[Radius Superior|Superior]] for the more valuable high-end pens and more valuable, and the  [[Radius Extra|Extra]] for second tier pens sold at lower prices. The [[Radius Superior|Superior]] line remained in production, with different stylistic and technical changes, including the implementation of [[Radius Superior Trasparente|Trasparente]] version, until the '50s, while the [[Radius Extra|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.

In the '50s in fact (at least so it appears in [[:Category:Catalogo-Tentardini-195x|this catalog]]) the [[Radius Superior|Superior]] line, which in the meantime had taken on ogival lines following the stylistic trends of the period, was flanked by cheaper models such as the [[Comet]] (with a winged nib very similar to that of the [[Montblanc 25x]]) and the [[Radius 31]], a model with [[hooded nib]] of much lower quality than its predecessors. In the same catalog we note the presence of an additional model, the [[Fortune 38]], a clear imitation of the [[Pelikan 400]].<noinclude>

There is no known date of termination of production under the [[Radius]] brand, but it is placed in the second half of the '50s (but certainly later than [[1956]], appearing [[SAFIS]] in [[:File:1956-Annuario-General-Industria-Stilografiche-A.jpg|this yearbook]] of that year) considering it concomitant with the cessation of activities of the parent company, which was probably put out of business by the success of ballpoint pens. However, there are no reliable documents or precise indications about the cessation of activities.<noinclude> 

{{BrandChrono|Radius}}

==External references==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101127234410/http://www.pentrace.net/article112900028.html] Article on PenTrace
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050125011331/http://www.fortunecity.it/lunapark/eventi/71/w12.html] Article, first part
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20011122230744/http://www.fortunecity.it/lunapark/eventi/71/w13.html] Article, second part
==Notes==
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{{CategorizeBrand|Italia}}
</noinclude>