This is a review of my second typewriter, a 1948 Royal Quiet De Luxe.

Background: As stated this is a 1948 Royal Quiet De Luxe. I purchased this excellent machine once again on eBay for $54 USD. It is my second typewriter out of two that I own and my most recent acquisition which I purchased on the 15th of October and received on the 19th (expedited shipping is always nice!) This was an estate sale find by the seller. Again, I was confident making this transaction because the seller had a plethora of positive feedback and was rated as an "experienced" and "top rated" seller by eBay. The item was described as being in good working condition and it came with a working case. The funny thing is it arrived to me bearing the same cob webs that were depicted in the picture it had developed from being in storage for who knows how long. Previously I had bid on an earlier 1940s model which was built with a different "body style" if you will, but I lost that auction. It worked out just the same though because I actually like the look of this model better. There is a short video clip on YouTube of Tom Hanks using the same typewriter to make script changes right on the set of a movie that he presumably was directing and/or had written (unless it was an Arrow, which I have no idea why they bear almost the exact same resemblance to a Quiet De Luxe.)

Features: This was probably a pretty fancy typewriter in 1948, as a PDF document I found of the original user manual states on the cover "The world's first truly modern portable typewriter!" This typewriter seems to be pretty loaded with backspace, tab stops, margin release, shift, and shift lock on the keyboard. Ribbon direction selector is on the front left and black, red, and stencil ribbon selector on the right. "Touch control" is just under the top cover on the left above the ribbon direction selector. The paper bail has rubber paper rollers which I prefer. There are platen knobs and carriage release levers on both sides of the carriage, which is nice. The carriage return/line space lever is conveniently oriented horizontally towards the typist which makes things much easier. It has the usual line space selector, platen release lever, and paper release lever. There is a movable paper guide on the left side of the paper table. Not only are their rulers on the top and bottom of the platen but there is also a ruler under the ribbon which is very useful for setting your margin. Which brings me to one of it's most interesting and useful features, the magic margin (for the left margin.) A manual right sided margin is provided. The margins are uniquely hidden under a metal "flap" located above the platen, the piece that holds the paper guide and the "name plate" of the typewriter. The tab stops of course are on the rear of the typewriter for setting. The top cover above the type basket opens like the hood of a car via two hinges. The space bar is large, wide, and sturdy, which is nice. Last but not least is probably my favorite feature of this typewriter: the keys. The keys are shaped like your fingers and the tops are covered in a glass finish. It feels heavenly to type on. The aforementioned PDF manual of this typewriter says it is sturdy and built to "take it." That seems to be correct as it seems to be built like a tank. But, then again, most everything from that era feels like a tank to me. The case is nice and sturdy as well and still works, although quite worn out. The carrying handle is made of plastic and is a good, sturdy size, similar to a brief case or suit case. Unlike the thin, uncomfortable metal band on my Imperial case.

Performance: When I first got the typewriter everything was kind of sluggish and slippery, as to be expected. After some cleaning and lubrication it came right back to life. The typewriter performs excellent. I suspect that with all of it's "modern" features and still being in good condition I could use it for a wide range of tasks including long documents if I so desired. An analogy of the action on this typewriter is like a short trigger pull on a single action pistol, especially compared to my other typewriter (1932 Imperial The Good Companion.) The sound this typewriter makes is exactly what I have been looking for. It makes that classic and soft "snap, snap, snap" sound. That's the best way I can describe it in writing and it sounds great. There are only a couple of things that negatively affect the performance of this machine but hopefully can be repaired. If you release the margin, the margin release mechanism doesn't automatically reset the margins after returning the carriage. Also, the bell isn't very loud if it sounds at all. I suspect that these problems could potentially be related since the margin is apparently what causes the bell to ring. Also, the type basket cover's left hinge is broken. I will post these items in the repair forum for further discussion. Additionally there is some slight surface corrosion scattered around where some of the paint has been chipped off. Nothing major, though. I don't mind it at all considering how old the thing is and I probably will never take the time and money to correct it.

Pros: I think that this typewriter has all the features you could ask for in a 1948 model. It looks beautiful, performs beautiful, sounds beautiful, and feels beautiful. Again, that's my amateur experience. This is by far my favorite typewriter ever. That may not be saying much since I have only ever typed on the two that I own but I think that another portable would have to be pretty darn good to out rank this one in my book. It is a great joy to type on.

Cons: Honestly, none that I can think of. It's just a great typewriter all around.

Rating: 10 out of 10!