El Casco M200 Paper Punch

Smooth operator

Some may argue that in the digital, paperless age in which we are living, the paper punch is redundant; an obsolete stationary tool. However, there will be, on occasion, a need to file documents. When this time comes, it's a joyous occasion, as most obsessives enjoy filing, and it gives them the excuse to use their curated desk accessories.

As featured before on The Obsessive, El Casco make truly outstanding desk accessories, and the M200 Paper Punch is a wonder both to use and to look at on your desk. Its satisfying spring damped punching mechanism delivers just the right amount of resistance to pressure as to make the user feel the quality of workmanship that's gone into making it.

El Casco was established in 1920 to produce precision revolvers. This niche market in the weapons world required highly skilled experts to make them. However, by 1934, with the advent of the great depression, the market for these firearms had disappeared, forcing the company to diversify. El Casco realised that with the skills their workforce possessed, they could produce the finest desktop accessories in the world; so, that's what they did, with the introduction of the original M5 stapler.

There's nothing mass produced with El Casco products. Every single component of their fine desktop accessories is handmade with precision, and then painstakingly assembled. Like Bugattis, every individual part is numbered. To achieve the flawless mirror finish, the steel base is repeatedly hand polished before the final chrome or gold plating.

El Casco recruits and trains its own apprentices to ensure that the skills required to produce these wonderful products will be with us in the future.

If anyone asks if they can borrow your paper punch, you would be justified in answering with a firm, "No."

Details

Category: Desk accessories

Country of Origin : Spain

Designer: N/A

Brand/Make/Model: El Casco

Type: M200 Paper Punch

Year: 1920s to date

Why: Beautifully crafted precision paper punch.

Website: elcassco.com

Photography: Ray Massey

Location: Camden Park Studios