- colrehogan
- Key Master
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- From: Granite City, IL
- Registered: 05-2-2015
- Posts: 612
Re: What is THE BEST?
colrehogan wrote:
My favorites are a couple of L.C. Smith standards that I have. As for portables, I have a Royal Futura 800 that I like to use and it was in great shape as found.
LC Smith no. 8 w/10 in. platen. Sorry, I should have clarified that before.
Smith Premier typewriters are cool!
- KatLondon
- Key Master
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- From: London
- Registered: 11-10-2014
- Posts: 995
Re: What is THE BEST?
An Olympia would do everything a Hermes would do, but cheaper.
Plus ça change! I've bought several brilliant Olympias for well under £30. Try doing that with a Hermes nowadays.
- beak
- Key Master
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Re: What is THE BEST?
...plus c'est la même chose. My 3000 cost $25 and my Ambassador $38 AUD! Patience is all.
Sincerely,
beak.
- KatLondon
- Key Master
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- From: London
- Registered: 11-10-2014
- Posts: 995
Re: What is THE BEST?
Hermes 3000s have gone through the roof lately, even compared to what they were like before - at least here. I got mine for £44. There was one the other day that went for £57 but given what I've been seeing in the year or two since I got mine, that's a fluke. (Mind you, mine was also a fluke - on the day before I got mine, two 3000s within an hour of each other reached £98 and £197 - the latter of which rocketed up £100 in the last three minutes. I wax watching it live, like a tense tennis match! But now I'm seeing them listed for over £200 or £300. That's new.
- beak
- Key Master
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Re: What is THE BEST?
197GBP for a 3000! Something very wrong there.
I too see them listed here for such large sums - and greater still - but they never EVER sell, of course.
Sincerely,
beak.
- Fleetwing
- Typewriter Talk Vet
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- From: Hartford, CT USA
- Registered: 30-6-2015
- Posts: 1,011
Re: What is THE BEST?
Interesting -- 3000s seem pretty expensive in my area, selling for $150 and up. There's an original model one currently for sale on Craigslist for $120, which is more than I've ever spent for a typewriter but I'm thinking about it. I'm really only interested in the curvy first version or perhaps the second -- the final, angular version is just plain ugly.
- SquireDante
- Touch Typist
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- From: South Carolina
- Registered: 26-1-2017
- Posts: 106
Re: What is THE BEST?
Compared to some of its competition, Olympia made surprisingly few mechanical models during the typewriter industry's golden era, which is not only an indicator of how solid its designs were, but also how well-accepted they were by consumers.
I'm partial to German engineering (being half-German myself) and will definitely keep a lookout for one. I'd also like to find a good old Underwood No. 5.
- •
Thread Starter- mre12ax7
- Touch Typist
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- Registered: 28-3-2015
- Posts: 192
Re: What is THE BEST?
My favorites are a couple of L.C. Smith standards that I have. As for portables, I have a Royal Futura 800 that I like to use and it was in great shape as found.
LC Smith no. 8 w/10 in. platen. Sorry, I should have clarified that before.
I agree with the LC Smith standards. I have a 5 with a fresh platen and it types like new.
My blog - Just Typewriters
