Pre 1948 tools bearing the original Richter Extra trademark are now highly collectable, thanks to their high quality, rarity and the fact that they can be dated to a narrow time period. If you find any old Richter Extra woodworking tools, they are well worth hanging on to as an investment.

Richter Nástroje was nationalised in 1948 and the factory became part of a newly established national company, Naradi Praha (which subsequently became Narex Praha). Thanks to rapid manufacturing development, production doubled between 1958 and 1970 and the new business name and registered trade mark ‘Narex’ was established. The rebranding brought further success in both domestic and international markets, and by the time of the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the factory had achieved 70 years of almost uninterrupted growth.

Over the following 5 years the individual production facilities of Narex Praha were seperated into new public limited companies. It was agreed that all former Narex Praha firms would retain access to the Narex name, which is why you may find chisels, screwdrivers, power tools, machine tooling and other products made by independent firms but sold under similar branding. The plant in Bystrice became Narex Bystrice a.s.  and then in 1994 became the privately owned firm NAREX BYSTRICE s.r.o., the form that the company retains today.

From the perspective of Narex Bystrice, the greatest legacy of the Narex Praha company was it’s wonderful Chrome Manganese edge tool steel. Developed at huge expense, specifically for the production of edged tools, it is a tough, cohesive, fine grained steel suitable for forging and advanced isothermal hardening (austempering) techniques.

In recent years, further technical development has taken place in both screwdriver and chisel production, ensuring that the latest technology is employed alongside traditional toolmaking skills to guarantee quality and consistency. The range of woodworking chisels has recently been expanded with particular emphasis applied to ergonomics and aesthetics.