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I only have portables but I want a standard. That said, my 1949 SC Silent is my favorite machine but the slugs are out of alignment a bit so the type is wavy on the page. It feels wonderful though. I'll get it aligned eventually.
Second place is my very early Royal Royalite which I resurrected with the help of a parts machine. Keys feel very light to the touch and the typeface is really nice.
Phil Forrest
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Hi Again
As for preferring a standard to a portable, I have 5 standard size typewriters. 3 arrived so badly damaged that they are beyond repair and the other 2 I haven't got round to cleaning and servicing them. Who knows, once I get my Royal FPE16-6871893 cleaned up and serviced and can afford to have the 16" platen re-covered, I may change my mind. However, until then, my choices have to be between the machines I have serviced and fully operational. All the best,
Sky
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I only own portables from the 70s and 80s, but for me the Olivetti-Underwood typewriters (based on the mechanics of the Lettera 32) are the most comfortable to type.
My favorites are currently the Underwood 310 and 315 (identical in construction to the Olivetti Dora). The only disadvantage with these typewriters is that Olivetti did not produce any with the newer DIN 2137 keyboard layout (for German keyboards), although this standard was first published in 1976.
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skywatcher wrote:
Amelia - Amelia, it's you ! !
Greetings and salutations Amelia, it's so good to see you again after what seems like a very long time. Isn't it interesting how we all get so wound up and involved with work and everyday life that we tend to lose track of our friends and the things that help us relax that it takes something like a global pandemic to make us slow down, take a few steps back and get a better look at the big picture.
Sky! You're absolutely right. It has been forever since I stepped foot here. It's nice to be back...all it took was a global pandemic.
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=17.94pxI’ll throw in my two cents. I keep a minimalist collection, so choosing favorites is relatively easy. =17.94px-1920s Remington Portable=17.94px-1940s Remington Noiseless=17.94px-1950s Royal KMG =17.94pxEach of these machines have their own unique characteristics that endear them to me. I enjoy the “gear-lever” typebar and compactness of the Remington Portable, and it’s quite the fun machine to take on a trip. It took me a while to get warmed up to the oddball Noiseless mechanism and touch, but since then I’ve really gotten to like it. It’s fits in the larger portable range, bridging the gap between my Portable and my KMG. =17.94pxAnd of course, there is the KMG itself. Now there’s a force to be reckoned with. She’s a solid typer, always present and ready on my desk. You just can’t kill that thing. =17.94pxI don’t have one favorite machine; I love my three for their own special qualities. There not perfect by any stretch, but the get the job done, and make it fun at the same time.
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Without a doubt my favourite is my Olympia SM3 equal with the Splendid 99.
I married a brown typewriter ribbon with my Oly. S99 and it is a sublimely retro experience.
I can imagine Nero Wolff's assistant, Archie Goodwin, using just such a combination at his desk in Nero's home office.
My daughter swears by her Imperial Good Companion 1.
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Triumph Perfect is mentioned by the Opening Poster.
Here is mine, made in 1962...probably tied in 1st. place with another machine in my home.
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Royal KMM.
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I'm changing my answer I replied with above. My favorite typer is my Royal KMG but right behind it, my favorite portable is my Olympia SF. I just got that machine running nicely and it is fantastic.
Phil Forrest
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In terms of raw typing-feel and I would have to go with my 1939 Erika Model M. However, I find myself preferring the Olympia SM4 for its light and "bouncy" action. I type faster on no other machine, and the keys are just the right shape.
In terms of Desktops, I actually like to write on a 1974 Olympia Report Deluxe. It’s just something about the strong, definitive and powerful authority these electrics have. Really makes you feel like you are getting something done. My Olympia SG1 is my favorite manual desktop, however I have yet to get it serviced. I had to repair the backspace on it, but otherwise it works like a charm. I just cannot but feel it could be better.