1 of 1- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
Offline 
- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,405
Facit 1630 - Made In Korea...
Does anyone know a bit of the history of a portable Facit 1630 machine, made in Korea (probably in the mid to late 1970's) ?
First thought it might be a Brother...but not sure about that.
Did Facit just sell off the name when they were closing-up their world-wide operations ?
Here are a couple of photos I found on old Etsy sales offering :
.
- overwood
- Speed Champion
Offline
- From: Midwest
- Registered: 10-11-2018
- Posts: 285
Re: Facit 1630 - Made In Korea...
Sure has some Brother-ish signs about it but I'm no expert
- thetypewriterman
- Key Master
Offline
- From: Leiston, England
- Registered: 29-5-2013
- Posts: 923
Re: Facit 1630 - Made In Korea...
I am pretty sure that we are looking at a re-branded Silver-Reed, from the period when the Japanese tooling was sold to Korea. Slightly lower quality than the Japanese made-machines with a tendency for the keytops to break, but with a softer platen.
- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
Offline
- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,405
Re: Facit 1630 - Made In Korea...
Hi Tom,
I think you nailed it.
Here is a similar Silver Reed and even the cases look alike.
Any info. on how the "Facit" name made its way to Korea ? Was it just in the public domain by then.
I do know some Japanese-made "Facit" electric typewriters were produced for a while. But nothing to do with Sweden, if I understand correctly.
.
- •
Thread Starter- thetypewriterman
- Key Master
Offline
- From: Leiston, England
- Registered: 29-5-2013
- Posts: 923
Re: Facit 1630 - Made In Korea...
The picture is of the previous generation Silver-Reed with the metal outer casing, probably one of the last made in Japan. As to how a Korean plastic cased S-R ended up being branded as a Facit is anyone's guess !
- Uwe
- Moderator
Offline
- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,410
Re: Facit 1630 - Made In Korea...
Wouldn't it have been a case of what is all-too-common now, even common then, of a manufacturer turning to private label producers? Many typewriter manufacturers - particularly when budget Japanese machines flooded the market and the profitability of domestically produced models waned - switched to putting their names on the machines produced by other companies. It seems that Facit also followed that practice.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
Offline
- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,405
Re: Facit 1630 - Made In Korea...
Here is antother "Facit" showing its Silver Reed roots.
Being sold out of S. America with a spanish keyboard. Ad says it is Made In Japan.
.
- •
Thread Starter