Just brought home a 5 year old Toika Norjaana 100cm 8s/10t (no longer made) to join a 30 year old Varpapuu Bergå Dalia 80 cm 4s/6t (no longer made), though with room for 8/8. Basically, the Dalia was to Varpa's Karelia and the Norjaana was to the Toika Eeva what the Ideal still is to the Glimakra Standard. That is, countermarches that sacrific some depth as a compromise for weavers with limited space. As a result, this class of loom is very compact and therefore awkward to tie up, and may not be up to very high tension. They are popular in the UK and Japan, for instance.
One of these looms will need to be sold, but until I set up and weave on the Toika, I won't know which. In theory, the Toika has lots of advantages, including the wider width, and the worm gear, and I am hoping it will be physically easier to tie up. Besides, one can still get parts for it even if they have to be imported from Finland. While the Norjaana, like any Toika, is a finely engineered productivity tool, it lacks the sturdiness and the character, height and graceful proportions of the Varpa, not to mention its reddish patina. In addition, I think the Norjaana may have been intended as a less expensive entry-level loom, similar to today's Glimakra Julia and Toika Laila. It seemed just a bit more skimpily built and less carefully finished than the seller's new Eeva.
Here's a pic of the Norjaana loaded in a car (a rented Honda CR-V). The bubble wrap separating pieces was a miscalculation - it was slick enough that the beater slid back and forth. Towels or blankets would have been better.
Here's a pic of my Varpa. The space it is in makes photography problematic. If/when I do sell, the first order of business will be to move it into a larger space.
Gotta love that Finnish birch, though.
