'4th Party' Cheap
There is at least one name in photo gear history that probably won't ring any immediate bells. His name is Siegfried Franz Spira, or simply Fred, to those who knew him personally. I'm not among them, but I was certainly aware of his company as a kid in the 50's and 60's, with a head full of wishes for what he offered to all of us on the lower branches of the spending tree. If the company name of Spiratone is unfamiliar too, then I'll leave you to research that on your own. The company spanned a 50+ year timeline starting in 1941, and some of their gear was truly wild and wacky too.