A mahogany slide rule stored in optimal conditions after several decades will feel much better than a poorly-treated bamboo model. Mahogany and bamboo feel a little different during operation (and I believe the general consensus is that bamboo is superior) but after so many decades it's really going to depend on the condition of the slide rule you end up with. Ricoh/Relay imported to possibly dozens of American companies such as Lafayette, Jason, Alvin, Scientific instruments Co, and others. Pickett sold at least one such model called the B-1, imported from Ricoh/Relay in Japan. Frederick Post was the most notable of these and their Versalog is highly-regarded. All the ones sold by American companies were imported from overseas. As far as I know there were no American manufacturers of bamboo slide rules. K&E's wood-based slide rules generally used mahogany, not bamboo. And learning their use was a pure joy ! I couldn't help sharing all that with you :-)Īny suggestions for a newbie buying is first (general purpose) slide rule? One month later I was (and still am) happy with slide rules from Europe, Japan, US. Problem, the prices are high ! Next I got a big stroke of luck, the best I can wish to other collectors : getting in touch with a (French) collector who began selling away everything he had. The first slide rules I got were from Faber-Castell. As a collector, 2014 was my 'slide rules year' after 35 years of electronic and mechanical calculators.

Speaking about NIB slide rules (and wondering if it wasn't already told somewhere else on the forum) : especially for some of you who live in Europe, Faber-Castell still has some NOS silde rules.

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