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26-4-2022 21:42:40  #1


Which would you go for? Olympia SF or Traveller De Luxe?

The SF is from 1963. The painting is a little damaged, but it seems to be in good order. It's also a bit more expensive. The Traveller apparently is in perfect condition.

Which would you choose from a reliability standpoint? I want the best typer, even though I like the looks of the SF a lot...

 

26-4-2022 21:44:59  #2


Re: Which would you go for? Olympia SF or Traveller De Luxe?

... Actually, there's also a Triumph Tippa in the running, the rouded model from the 60s. I wish I could get them all, but I also have to buy silly things like food.

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27-4-2022 07:24:35  #3


Re: Which would you go for? Olympia SF or Traveller De Luxe?

cksk,

I have the the following "ultra" portables and like them in this order from top to bottom :

1.  1971 Olympia Traveller Deluxe (made in Germany)
2.  1966 Olympia SF
3.  1964 Triumph Tippa
4.  1967 Olivetti Lettera 32 (made in Italy)
5.  197x (?) Olympia SF (made in Japan)
6.  1968 Hermes Baby

All are in excellent condition and working order. 

I like them in this order based on how these specific machines feel under my hands when typing, their weight and solid feeling, and whether they let me type as fast as I can and not feel like the machine is holding me back.

My Hermes Baby feels most like a toy-typewriter, IMHO, and the key-tops are pretty small and I have average sized hands and finger-tips.

 

27-4-2022 11:33:56  #4


Re: Which would you go for? Olympia SF or Traveller De Luxe?

If both machines are in equal condition, I would definitely choose the SF. Both machines are good, but especially in terms of build quality and reliability, the SF prevails.

Here are some details about my experiences with the Traveller and SF:
https://www.laurenzvangaalen.nl/olympia-traveller/#list-of-travellers


 

 

27-4-2022 13:01:52  #5


Re: Which would you go for? Olympia SF or Traveller De Luxe?

cksk, it's very difficult to base a decision or make an argument concerning reliability when talking about typewriters that are half a century old. You can buy a machine that's in perfect working order and cosmetically excellent, and have the mainspring break after five minutes of typing (it's happened to me). Conversely, you can buy a filthy typewriter that looks like it was thrown down a flight of stairs, and it can work flawlessly for hundreds of typed pages. Simply put, there are no guarantees when it comes to antique machines.

If both machines are in decent working order, I would buy the one that speaks to you the most, the one that is more appealing to your design aesthetic. 


I prefer the original SF (a Traveller is a SF too) because I prefer mid-century designs over the later '60s and early '70s box styles. Does it type better than the Traveller? Not really, which is why I have always taken the Traveller with me when I... travel. My reasoning is that I would shed fewer tears if a Traveller was damaged while on the road than an early example of the SF.


 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

27-4-2022 17:27:19  #6


Re: Which would you go for? Olympia SF or Traveller De Luxe?

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the input. After considering all the points and opinions, I think I’m going for the SF; I’m really into its design, even though the painting is a little rough. Let’s see if I can haggle a better price!

Thanks again

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27-4-2022 19:16:29  #7


Re: Which would you go for? Olympia SF or Traveller De Luxe?

Holy crap! Good thing I took some time to ponder. I just realized the "Traveller De Luxe" I was eyeing is, in fact, a Brazilian made Olivetti Tropical in disguise! Like this one:

https://typewriterdatabase.com/197x-olympia-traveller-de-luxe.6625.typewriter

There weren't a lot of photos and I was just looking at the name tags, and didn't realize until just now that this is not how a Traveller is supposed to look like...

Anyways, it only made my previous decision even firmer. The SF it is! (And thanks to Uwe I now know a Traveller *is* a SF, but anyways.)

Thanks again everyone!

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27-4-2022 20:22:26  #8


Re: Which would you go for? Olympia SF or Traveller De Luxe?

cksk,

Good to have an eagle eye.

For your SF, you might want to consider felt sound pads inside the machine.  Member Laurenz has some good tips on the web page he linked in his last posting.  I do that on all the "ultra" machines I have in my home.

 

28-4-2022 12:47:38  #9


Re: Which would you go for? Olympia SF or Traveller De Luxe?

Well, that's an interesting development.

In my case (i.e. circumstances, location, availability) I would have opted for the Traveller; it's arguably the worst of the three, but whereas the SF and SF Traveller models are fairly easy to find in my area, the Olivetti is not frequently seen. And I've never seen the Olympia variant in person around here.

This of course is from a collecting perspective - not a practical one. I've bought plenty of sub-standard machines over the years even though I knew they were terrible typers, but couldn't pass on how interesting they were in other regards.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

28-4-2022 15:20:43  #10


Re: Which would you go for? Olympia SF or Traveller De Luxe?

Yes, I totally understand that. But those Olivettis are actually super common here -- I'm from Brazil. With the Olympia tags they're a little rarer, but now that I knew what to look for I even found other examples being sold.

Internally, it's the same machine as the Olivetti Roma, which I already have. So this pseudo-Traveller doesn't do anything for me. But yeah, the Olympia tags make it a little more interesting for sure.

Pete, thanks for the tip! I'll look into the sound pads for sure.

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