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Despite its prevalence among European and Brazillian typists, thorough reviews of the Lexicon are sparse. As its beauty is already self-evident, I wonder if those who have experience with this machine can demystify its functional performance as a standard typewriter.
Please mention any aspect (touch, carriage movement, general mechanics, etc.) and make any comparisons (particularly with contemporaries i.e. the Olympia SG-1) that you find relevant. Is the Lexicon 80 a worthy writing instrument?
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Yes, to me there is no doubt the Lexikon 80 is a worthy writing instrument. However, performance wise I find the Lexikon no match for my SG3 or Matura.
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They sure are lovely to admire. This one on Etsy out of Italy.
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Laurenz van Gaalen wrote:
performance wise I find the Lexikon no match for my SG3.
Thank you. Which features do you find the SG series to have mastered in comparison to the Lexicon? I've considered acquiring the former before the latter but beyond previous experience with the SMs and the Letterra 32, I can't pose a reason why.
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Pete E. wrote:
lovely to admire.
I've always thought so.
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Somali_Script wrote:
Which features do you find the SG series to have mastered in comparison to the Lexicon
I can type faster and for a considerably longer time on the SG3 than on the Lexikon because the SG3's typing action is less stiff than the action of the Lexikon. Apart from that I find the keyboard and all other controls of the SG3 more convenient to operate.
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I have found that with a little tuning you can get passable typing performance from a Lexikon 80. I have two of them, and only bought the second one because the first was so bad I couldn't believe it was indicative of the model's capabilities. However, the second was bad too, and it was only then that I found out that it needed some adjustments to restore both of them to an acceptable level.
As the others have already said, there's no comparison between the SG1/SG3 and the 80. You buy the Olivetti for its looks, and the Olympia for its performance.
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Uwe wrote:
You buy the Olivetti for its looks, and the Olympia for its performance.
That seems to be the conclusion, if not the one I wanted. Thank you all for your comments. Perhaps the SG club will soon see another member in its ranks.