JustAnotherGuy wrote:

I've just been wondering, what is everybody's favorite and least favorite brands? My favorite by a long shot is Royal, because all of the "real" Royals I have used (not counting the mass produced Japanese portables)  have had a very sold feel and they tend to just be very reliable and durable machines. My least favorite is Olivetti because of the two I have owned I am not very impressed with quality or feel. Olivetti seems to have put their major focus on design rather than the mechanics themselves, and usually their designs are too outlandish and modern for my taste anyway.

I'd rather take one beat up Royal over three pristene Olivettis!

It sounds like most people here are really into manual typewriters.  I do have a manual Royal typewriter.  It's more modern with a plastic body.  Of all the typwriters that I have used, my favorite is the Selectric III.  I like it for its solid construction, ability to easily change fonts, and of course, correct errors.  When I was in high school, I typed my papers on an electronic Smith Corona.

JustAnotherGuy wrote:

I do quite like Selectrics, if only I could get my own to work!

What is wrong with it?  What are the symptoms?  I have been learning to repair selectrics.  I have purchased several on eBay that were not working, repaired them, and then sold them.

JustAnotherGuy wrote:

typewriterguru wrote:

What is wrong with it?  What are the symptoms?  I have been learning to repair selectrics.  I have purchased several on eBay that were not working, repaired them, and then sold them.

Oh, nothing serious. It skips occasionally (and inserts a -) and the keys don't pop back up. I'm thinking I just need to clean it.

It sounds like the keyboard levers need to be cleaned and oiled.  The random hyphens are usually caused by an interposer that is sticking.  This is also underneath the keyboard.  Cleaning and oiling it should fix it.

The Underwood 21 is a disguised Olivetti Studio 44, a typewriter that I've long disliked for its terrible type action. And yet I know there are fans of the Studio 44 out there, which has me wonder if a better machine is in there somewhere and that it needs some mechancial tweaking to bring it out. I've tried to improve on its performance, but so far it still eludes me.