I was wondering if there are any other people who love typewriters on the forums.
I have a Royal Quiet De Lux, Smith Corona Classic 12, and a Remington noiseless.
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I typed my way through undergrad school on a portable JC Pennys manual typewriter. It was so flimsy the keys bend if you typed too hard.
I would love to find a nice fully working electric typewriter.
PS. My brother in law worked for IBM in starting in the 60s. He repaired IBMs Selectric machines. Secretaries could blaze through documents with those.
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My 91 year old mother still uses her Smith Corona Classic from the 60’s. She has a MacBook Pro and a nice printer but still prefers using the typewriter. I still get letters (yes; real letters) written wih it.
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If you go to a repair shop they proboly sell a seletric.
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I will check around. Surely, Houston would have a shop if anyone does.
Thanks, Jeff
I have a Hermes Rocket, but I don’t really type on it. The throw distance of manual typewriters–even the little ultra-portables like the Rocket–is just too much for me. I’ve been touch typing on computer keyboards for far too long at this point.
For years I also had an IBM Selectric II, but again, I never used it even though I loved the idea of using it. Gave it away before moving last November. The major downside to IBM Selectrics is that you have to use them regularly or they very easily fall into disrepair. They need constant service, especially now that they are all 50+ years old. They made sense in office environments where large businesses could afford the service contracts to keep them running smoothly at all times. But unless you plan to type on them virtually every day, they just don’t make sense as personal typewriters for individuals. And even if you do type on them every day, the constant wear and tear on the aged electro-mechanical parts will require frequent maintenance. But at the end of the day, they are still the most amazing electric typewriters ever made, IMO.
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I have a couple of budget carriage-shift travel models on hand right now (Royal Sprite and Olympia Traveller C), but in storage I have several portables and desktop models. (I guess the most interesting machine in my collection is a fully working Oliver 9.)
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I have a fistful of Smith Coronas I keep around. Two of them I use for letters, if I send letters. I worked on a destroyed Silent I found at my work and it works a treat now. I love typewriters. Still hunting a classic Underwood and an Oliver No. 9, but I’m a cheapskate so no easy route for me. So if anyone wants 3 electric Smith Coronas for an Oliver, you know how to contact me 
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Oooh! That’s a grail of mine for sure. There’s a guy north of me selling his Oliver and if it wasn’t an 8 hour drive one way I’d pick it up, if I sold a few things first that is.
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I have a Hermes 3000, but it’s one of the later-model plastic ones and it has a Russian keyboard… So it’s kind of useless to me (I studied Russian in college but it didn’t stick.) What makes it really interesting is that the case has some equipment forms showing that at one point it belonged to NASA. A 70s/80s era Swiss-made Russian-language typewriter at NASA? There’s a story in there somewhere!
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@fos1, I have a Selectric III that, just like @zslane says, broke down on me shortly after I got it. I should also see if I can get it serviced around here (If any model is still being serviced, that should be the one.) Electrics just aren’t worth it to me. I have a drawer of Coronamatic cartridges that have probably dried out but I hold on to because you never know.
The most desirable typewriters don’t seem to have gotten any cheaper these days, so I’m inviting financial and storage troubles for myself by thinking about which models I’d consider “grails,” but…
The AMC Alpina (with the nylon carriage return bar.)
Any Cole Steel. I don’t hear good things about them mechanically but I love the way they look.
Groma Kolibri (I won’t need to buy other super-portables if I have the super-portablest one, right?)
The Rooy Portable. (Well, the Kolibri, and then this, and then I’d be done. Then I’d be done…)
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I wonder if IBM still has parts available for selectrics?
I remember seeing typeballs online and thats what seletrics use instead of the normal keys. I am not sure what other parts go in it.
I checked around Houston. There is one guy that repairs and refurbishes old typewriters and seems to have a good rep. He only does repairs, not sales. No retail stores listed, just ebay and etsy.
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Those Hermes ones are beauties too.
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As I recall from my Dad, the original IBM Selectric (I) was the best one. All the others were made cheaply and would easily break. He claimed the original, however, was bulletproof. My father took pride in being able to type faster than any of his secretaries at work. He claimed the Selectric was the fastest-typing typewriter ever made.
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