schyllerwade wrote:

I passed on it. I had never used one, but it felt...I don't know. I've heard others talk of typewriters that have the tendency to 'join' words. That's what was happening. It wouldn't space consistently when I was typing. I just didn't like the feel...I hope it was simply an example of a poorly maintained machine.

That faulty opeartion could very well be a lack of maintenance. My Kolibri needed professional care to be at 100%. It had been dropped, the right knob was shattered, the paper arm missing (a common Kolibri disease) and basically everything out of place. But look at it now!



And the case is very nice as well. A complete package!



BTW, the word I was looking for was "mat", yes. That was a flat-out brain fade by me!

The Olivetti Lettera 22 is noticeably lighter than the 32, and according to a former chief of assembly line at the Barcelona factory (my trusted friend Pascual), the 22 is definitely better. I don't want to be forced to choose between them, but if we talk about ultra portables the Lettera 32 has to go out. It's portable, but over 3 kg and a bit bulky. As a portable it's great, but if you're looking for something more portable than portable, then there are other options.

The best ultra portable I've tried is the Groma Kolibri. Reliable and surprisingly stable for a machine of its size. It's sturdy and you don't feel like you're going to destroy it by typing a bit too much on it. Then there comes the Gossen Tippa, which is almost as good IMHO. Maybe it tends to wander around a bit more, but you can reduce that by using a... Little table cover? Sorry, right now my brain has decided to forget the English word for "tapete". A piece of soft cloth, you can use to play cards on it as well... What's the word?

The Hermes Baby is great as well, and easier to find. A well looked after one is puer quality.

Then, two other nice machines which are a bit larger:

The aforementioned Olivetti Pluma (or Lettera) 22, which is FAST stable and extremely affordable. Now I'm after one for 0,01€, so you can expect it to be very inexpensive.
And then, the Brother Valiant. This has surprised me, because I didn't expect it to be that sturdy and fast. Looks great, too!

Well, you can't go much further in terms of performance than this! Good find, these are not exacly cheap nor frequent around here!

In addition, check if it's a German unit or a Mexican one. I've tried both, and German ones are better.

Anyway, for $25 a working SG3 is a great deal. Few typewriters offer such quality, and in addition they can be inexpensive just like the Olivetti Linea 98.

Regarding the paper injector, I agree with Fleetwing. Mine doesn't have it either, but the Mexican SG3 I tried did have it, and I'd choose a German unit without paper injector instead of a Mexican one with it. Conclussion: it' a cool feature but not decissive (at least for me).

beak wrote:

Yes indeed - why on earth not!  My only concern is that information useful to all may be locked away in a language we do not speak, and I would encourage all users of those sub-forums to help guard against this where possible - though I'm not sure how!

Given that the forum as a whole is based on English, I would encourage those using other language sub-forums (can't stand 'fora') to keep in touch with everyone, and not bury yourselves forever, out of sight, in a sub-forum.

In order to make the sub-forums more permeable, maybe it´d be a good idea translating (or to translate? I´ve always had the same problem with gerunds...) several important posts. For example, the FAQ and forum rules posts are useful in every language, but you´ve pointed at something big: How could, for example, an interesting discussion in German be carried to the English (and main) forum? As far as I can go, I can try anything interesting that pops up in Spanish and vice-versa. For example, if someone wants something translated from English to "insert-target-language-here", it takes just a little effort to contribute. At least that´s what I´m going to try to do, provided it doesn´t get too big!

BTW, I agree. I can´t see "fora" as an usable word in the world we live in. I´m deep into classical languages, but this is plainly unnatural for any 21st century speakers, just like curricula, quora and other plurar neutral terms.

beak wrote:

Let's face it, even English divides us across the Atlantic!  I know full well that my colloquial British English will be a mystery to some Americans, but there is no way I'm going to speak a degraded 'World English' form just for that reason.  It has long been my contention that modern American English and British English are two different languages, and that time should be taken to learn them as such, and respect their differences.

Glad you mention that. Since in a forum like this the only way to communicate i