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18-3-2013 18:09:40  #1


Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter - My Review

Backstory: Last year, I decided I wanted to own a typewriter again, after nearly 20 years of not using one. After months of searching, I found a beauty, and I bought it. It was an Underwood Standard Portable, so far as I can tell, from the late 1920s. This is my little review...




Standard/Portable

Weight: This typewriter is a portable, so obviously, weight is an issue. The machine on its own is about 5.5kg (roughly 10-11lbs). Not too bad. I have heard of machines that weigh less, and some which weigh more, within the portables range, but this seems rather middle-of-the-road. It's not a pain to carry around, and it's pretty comfortable. It doesn't rip your arm off, when you pick it up in the case. 

Size: It's a nice, compact typewriter. Not as compact as some, but still compact with enough features to make it a decent typewriter. 

Features: It has most of the features that the average typewriter would have. It doesn't come with tabulation functions, but it has everything else: margin-stops, backspace, shiftlock, single carriage-shift, etc etc. It has enough features to do what the average typist would require. 

Construction & Function: Very solid and seems to work very well. There's no real issues with it. The ribbon-selector set on RED makes the keys somewhat more difficult to press (as a consequence, I don't use that setting), but it does work. 

User-Friendliness: It's a very no-nonsense type of machine. I soon figured out what all the switches and levers did, before I ever got my hands on a copy of the manual. It has margin-release, line-spacing, carriage-release, paper-release...none of these switches or levers are marked, but their placement on the machine tells you what they do, anyway. My one little gripe is that the carriage-bell is not as loud as I'd expect it to be, which is unfortunate, 'cause my hearing isn't super great. But it's loud enough to hear it, if you're expecting it. If you're not, it might ring and you'd never notice it. 

Ribbons: Takes standard, 1/2-inch ribbons on standard-size spools. Easy to thread and replace and remove. No issues there. 



All in all, I'd say it's a 4/5 typewriter. I'm sure there are better, pre-war portables out there, but this one does a dandy job just as it is. 


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
 

18-3-2013 20:04:51  #2


Re: Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter - My Review

Nice review, thanks! 

The keys look fabulous; I really like the black on white lettering. Did that particular model originally have covers over the spools, or is that how the machine sold back in the day?


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

18-3-2013 20:30:05  #3


Re: Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter - My Review

It originally came without spool-covers. There ARE models identical to this, which came out WITH spool-covers, but they were in the 1930s. Mine was the variation sans-covers. 


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
     Thread Starter
 

18-3-2013 21:19:49  #4


Re: Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter - My Review

Hi Shangas, yes -- thanks for the review and photos. It gives me something to compare to my Underwood Portable. Mine types very nicely, and I'm happy to report the bell is quite clear. This appears to date from the 30s, based on your comments and pic at 
http://www.machinesoflovinggrace.com/large/UwoodPort31.jpg

Unfortunately mine is missing the spool covers... so I've just posted in the WTB section .

What attracted me most was the vintage script font, which likely isn't practical for typing resumés, but works nicely for thank you cards, envelopes, etc. 


 


"Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the typewriter."
 

18-3-2013 23:43:28  #5


Re: Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter - My Review

In 1916, Underwood came out with the three-bank portable. 

Ten years later, it came out with the four-bank portable. 

The Underwood four-bank portable had loads of variations. But the one in my photographs was the bog-standard, 1st-generation four-banker which came out in 1926. All the other variations, including yours, Valiant, came out AFTER mine. I doubt mine dates to 1926, however. It is impossible to date it, because there are no serial-number lists online, but my *GUESS* is the late 1920s. So like, 1929. 


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
     Thread Starter
 

19-3-2013 02:22:45  #6


Re: Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter - My Review

Shangas wrote:

I doubt mine dates to 1926, however. It is impossible to date it, because there are no serial-number lists online, but my *GUESS* is the late 1920s. So like, 1929. 

It's not listed here?

http://www.tw-db.com/indexen.htm
 


"Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the typewriter."
 

19-3-2013 02:46:06  #7


Re: Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter - My Review

Absolutely not. No record AT ALL. I should know. I've gone through that thing literally over a dozen times. Unless they've updated it sometime in the last two months, it ain't there. 


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
     Thread Starter
 

19-3-2013 04:03:00  #8


Re: Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter - My Review

Valiant wrote:

It's not listed here? 

Apparently that database isn't being updated any longer. Someone else has picked up the data from that site and is trying to expand on it.

 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

19-3-2013 05:11:37  #9


Re: Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter - My Review

My typewriter isn't mentioned there, either. 


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
     Thread Starter
 

19-3-2013 14:29:22  #10


Re: Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter - My Review

I've long wanted an Underwood four-bank and an Underwood three-bank, and within a space of a couple of days I bought both models. This was very recent; so recent they haven't actually arrived yet.

The condition of the four-bank looks superb, the three-bank less so, but we'll see.

 

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