schyllerwade wrote:

Javi-
Regarding workload, that's a good bit of information thanks for throwing that out there. Can you expand I. That a little more though? I mean, in what ways the one is better than the other for heavy usage? Specifically kolibri/gossen
I think at this point I'm leaning away from the rocket/baby haha, unless I happen upon one by chance

Regarding workload, I see it as a coin with two sides. One is how the typewriter deals with pages and pages of continuous typing and the other one is what you experience when typing.

Such small portables (sometimes they´re even called ultra-portables) aren´t designed to endure as much punishment as a standard sized machine, but that´s no excuse to make flimsy or unreliable typewiters. After giving a typewriter a hard day of work, if it feels like it´s going to fall apart or it consistently fails (that is, something doesn´t work right, like skipping, typebars jam or any other malfunction that doesn´t involve the machine needing repairs) then you have a typewritewr which can´t handle heavy workloads. Say hello, over-famous Corona 3!

Of course those are the extremes of what can happen, but as you type you can get hints of something going not quite right inside the machine. The more you use a certain typewriter, the more you get to know its peculiarities so you can better assess how well is it working for you, and that´s the other part: your experience. If the typewriter is forcing you to be worried about it more than about what you´re typing, or if the touch is uncomfortable, or... well, pretty much anything that you perceive that´s nagging and is not your fault, then maybe you´re asking the typewriter too much or the typewriter offers too little.

Now the hard part is finding a balance between all of that, because apart from "objective" features (note the quotes), there´s much, A LOT of personal preference when choosing a typewriter.

The Groma Kolibri is a positively well engineered typewriter. Small, ultra-flat and tough. The touch is very nice, very reliable. The keys are sturdy, they don´t strafe from side to side as it happens with weaker machines when typing fast, and it´s beautiful. A common issue is that the paper arm breaks off, so if you´re going to get one of these make sure the paper arm is there!

The Gossen Tippa is another fine example of engineering, but the overall feeling is "weaker". It can hold its ground, yeah, but I´d say it´s not as strong on the long run. If you´re not going to type a mountain of pages in one go, you´ll probably be alright with it as well.

If I´m allowed to make things trickier, here´s another candidate: the Olympia Splendid 33. It looks duller and it´s a bit larger, but it´s the sturdiest and fastest tiny portable I´ve tried. It´s hard as an Olympia must be, and it types at a blistering pace because the stroke is so short. You only need to press down a bit the keys to make the typebar go forth and then come back fast as lightning (short typebars!).


 

Well guys, you can put a pin in this thread. I finally found one, and it is AWESOME.
Pics to follow in recent acquisitions.