Diskussion:TBS Ofling

The construction of the Ofling is fundamentally the same as the Super Simplex (SS), the Rapid Calcolo (RC)and the Super Corona (SC); however, it also has some distinctly different features. The most obvious difference is the construction material: the Ofling is probably made of zinc (based on its appearance and that it is unaffected by a magnet) vs others are made of steel (magnet test)(1). Additionally, the Ofling is not painted, while the others are. The SS, RC and SC are definitely Italian but the Ofling is perhaps German (there is a small German town called Ofling). All three of the Italian adders have a person's two letter initials at the top F.D., M.D.(Mario Diaz)and S.G.(2), while the Ofling has the three letters T,B,and S superimposed (the order is inferred from the top-down ordering of the letters - they may or may not be a persons initials); this brings to my mind a parallel with the Efzet (F.Z.) and Produx.

Then in contrast to the differences listed above, all four adders have the identical placement and design of the minus, division, addition and multiplication symbols (although the Ofling has the designs engraved while the other are painted.

Now, into this discussion we have to consider the Viktoria Rechenapparat and the Produx Original. There is a general similarity but the Ofling,SS,RC and SC are a bit shorter and some of the details of construction are distinctly different (3). So, given all that my conjecture is that at some point the Ofling was produced as a "knock off" of the Produx and then licensed to F.D, M.D and S.G in Italy. Uncovering evidence for my conjecture would be a challenging job for a history detective.

Footnotes: (1) The Ofling is slightly wider than the Italian adders solely because the zinc metal used is thicker than the steel.

(2) Does anyone know the names that belong to the other initials?

(3) The Victoria, the Orginal, and the Italian adders all have the same width.

Rechnerlexikon

Diskussion:TBS Ofling