I forgot to ask: Does the SG1 have a reputation for an unusually heavy key action?

I know mine has a massive carriage but I wouldn't have thought that should make the keys heavier. The adjuster knob seems to work well. Setting 1 is much lighter than setting 8. And on setting one, the spring it is attached to is not under any tension, so I'm pretty sure there isn't a fault. All they keys return very quickly as well, I can type very fast on it, I just need to apply a pressure I can't sustain without getting tired fingers.

The lightest setting is heavier than any of my other typewriters. I've just received a very tatty, filthy SM2 (possibly, not sure what it is, I may ask for ID help on another thread) and they keys that aren't jammed are a delight to use. Very light and snappy. I would have hoped that the SG1 could, in theory, have the same light touch, but is that not what people find?

A well-maintained SG1 should have a light, concise touch. I can type with a SG1 all day long without any issues, and I actually prefer it to any portable model for regular use. Those who are not accustomed to using a typewriter, and have spent years clicking away on the plastic keys of a computer keyboard, might find that it takes a little while to get used to the keyboard of a machine that uses mechanical linkages to hammer an impression on a page.   

Uwe wrote:

A well-maintained SG1 should have a light, concise touch. I can type with a SG1 all day long without any issues, and I actually prefer it to any portable model for regular use.

Is there anything I should focus on, maintenance wise, to give it a light touch? If I manually lift any of the slugs to the ribbon and let go, they fall back quickly, so I'm not sure I will make any significant gains cleaning in the segment area. Is there anywhere else that might give me noticeable gains?

Though I have to say, having just acquired a Royal HH last night and falling in love with it for both the typing action and the lovely clean, big font (and nice soft platen) I decided to try the SG1 again. I was expecting to find the typing harder, but really, while the action feels quite different, the pressure required to guarantee good results on both was roughly the same.

Still, if I could get the SG1 anything like as light and snappy as my SM3 or Lettera 32, I'd be very happy.

I do actually want a typewriter for a specific project, but still haven't decided which one to use. Whatever I decide, I need to stick with the same one once I start. In some ways it would be nice to use the SG1 for old time's sake, so I'm prepared to do a bit of maintenance on it.

I am about 2 hours from rejoining the SG owners club. I had an SG3 but just could not warm to its cold, clinical appearance. I passed it along to a young lady who is getting a lot of  enjoyment from it. I'v been on the lookout for a locally available SG1 at a reasonable price for the better part of a year, and finally success!

Finally getting to posting photos. Mechanically it needed only a few minor type alignment adjustments and a good cleaning. The keycaps were horribly pitted and I smoothed them slightly with fine sandpaper then filled the pits with a clear acrylic finish.  Like many SG1s the paint was badly faded from its original green and there was some light damage to the sheet metal, especially along the back, so I decided to repaint as best I could. Here are both before and after: