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RELAY/RICOH IMAGE ARCHIVE: 4

    Another one of Relay/Ricoh's most enduring and best designs is at left, the big 151. This rule was around by 1957, and lasted with no scale changes until at least 1972! With 25 scales, including 8 log-log scales, the "P" scale, and many over range scale extensions, this rule was enough for most any task. It might not have had the name brand recognition that K+E and Dietzgen did here in the US, but no matter what brand name was on your 151 you needed to suffer no slide rule envy! This biggest gun in the R/R line matches up very well with the best any other brand had to offer.
     For having been in production for so long, these rules went through surprisingly little evolution. Early rules have the straight bar cursor and the shiny end braces like other R/R types. The 1960 151 at top left is also a similar font style to other contemporary rules. But, note that the earlier rule has black over range scale extensions on the C and D scales, whereas the 1972 rule below has red over range extensions. The "E" on the log log scales changes as well, and the PI symbols on both rules are standard for their dates. In fact all the font styles change, but not the layout or scale set.
     These are very nice rules, no matter the age or brand. And quite powerful. This rule, along with the 154, SHOULD have allowed Ricoh (by that time) to compete anywhere in the world for market share. For 6 and 8 log log scale rules, those two are pretty darn good and very competitive. But, they were never as popular as many other brands. Too late a start? Bamboo not popular outside Japan? I don't know. If you're collecting 151's, don't expect too many changes '57-'72. But, doesn't that mean that they got it right in the first place?

Here's something else fun to watch out for if you're collecting Relay/Ricoh rules. Completely unmarked rules! Perhaps these ought to qualify as another brand/label, that is, NONE!! Note that both rules, a 5 inch (505) and a 4 inch (403), are completely unmarked, except for "Made in Japan". No brand, and no model numbers! Even the cases are blank. What's the deal here?
What I didn't say yet is that these rules DO have date codes, which are 1963. This is the year that Relay changed over to Ricoh. It is also (as near as I can tell) the year that they moved date codes from the face of the duplex rules to the lower edge. I have seen more than a few pocket rules like these two here, and some bigger ones too, especially 150's, with no codes.. Maybe they were made to be sold without any brand name, that is they were unmarked totally on purpose, or they escaped marking during the change, or were accidentally unmarked, or were meant to have been marked if needed but.............. I don't know.
But more than a few rules are out there with no brands whatsoever, and almost all I've seen are 1963. So I'm basically showing you nothing. Well, no brands anyway, but these are very obviously Relay/Ricoh rules!

Above, a very interesting rule indeed. This is a very old Relay 505, re-sold by LIETZ, but look at the left end. "MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN". This was only used on products from the end of the war through 1952. Current histories seem to indicate that this is too early for RELAY. This rule has no date code, but has to be from this time period. There is some evidence that the currently held timeline for company evolution may need to be adjusted, and this rule is one of the pieces that seem to imply that. Comparison of this and early NIKKEI rules may shed more light on this question.

...scroll down to see the Pickett B-1

   At left, a comparison between a Pickett B-1 and a Lafayette 99-70559. Both are basically R/R 151's, the Lafayette using the original layout unaltered, and the Pickett being highly altered. In fact, altered 151's are quite uncommon, so B-1's are even more unique.
   The Pickett B-1 varies from tne normal 151 in the following ways: it uses a cursor normally only seen on a couple of R/R rules sold in Japan, it has self documenting scales with range data, it has the "early" style shiny, polished end braces, and it deletes the usual DI and P scales of the 151 scale set, and adds two square root scales in their place.
    Pickett offered the B-1 for buyers who preferred bamboo rules, and obviously their targeted competition was the Post (Hemmi) 1460 Versalog, a huge seller in the U.S. The B-1 was arguably very competetive with the 1460, either in its original form or the "Versalog 2". In fact,some would say it was superior as it has both A and B scales, lack of which has been criticised on the 1460's.
    An uncommon rule, not just in numbers made, but in being one of the few altered 151's sold.