When people ask me what's the 'best typewriter'...

There is a right answer, by the way, and it ain't some digital contraption.

When people ask me what's the 'best typewriter', I always think 'the one you'll use.' Because if you don't use it, it's useless.

For instance, I love a Hermes 3000. It's a very practical choice for a manual writing machine.

I also love an IBM Selectric II (though they're a little troublesome getting working and getting shipped safely). Also, they weigh 40 pounds and take up a whole desk. I mean, really.

But what I really USE lately is a 50's Groma Kolibri.

Here it is... (my smallest machine on top of my largest).

Why?

I like the ‘font.’ Because its typeface is a 10 character per inch, which I like. When I say 'like', it's just a very subjective preference. It looks like the typeface on my first typewriter back in 2002.

Because it's small and portable. I can pull it out with ease and slide it into a shelf when I'm done.

I like that the bottom is enclosed, so I don't get any oil on myself.

[The bottom is enclosed on most typewriters after the 50's, but on the earlier ones (and some 60's ones) it is open. Meaning you just flip the machine upside down like a turtle and you see all of the inner workings. TMI for some people. Some people find this... overwhelming.

I had a client order a Smith Corona Sterling, but when she saw that bottom, it was intimidating. So we traded it for a Brother Deluxe, enclosed bottom, small zippered case, and she was off to the races. ]

It's sturdy and grounded.

I like a sturdy build. Those wide feet, the bulletproof case. A Hermes Baby will ding with ease. The Groma will chip before it will ding. That Brother Deluxe I just mentioned, or even a Hermes 3000, are a little lighter. It's not a dealbreaker, I'm just spoiled.

It's gorgeous beyond measure.

Though I prefer the feel of the older rimmed keys, I'm just endlessly fascinated by the flatness of this thing.

What it lacks.

Oh, the automatic margins of the Hermes 3000. Any kinds of tabs. 2 tone ribbons selector. The keys aren't particularly comfortable.

So I trade ease of use for inspiration. I don't go too far in the direction of inspiration. When I do, I pull out my 1923 Hammond Folding Typewriter with a mathematical keyboard and I start to struggle joyously, painfully, and slowly; but the words are a rich tapestry, painstakingly earned.

I think most things are too easy today. it makes for lazy thinking.

It's like the difference between an old Edward Weston photo and a digital snapshot. I mean, they each serve a purpose, but it really is achingly hard to bypass effort and preserve quality. (People mistakenly think the opposite).

I've been a woodcarver, and I love the hand carved Japanese Netsukes. The wood carvings made with power tools I'm less interested in... too fast!

So, what's the best typewriter for you?

The one you'll use!

BTW, I didn't like the first few Groma Kolibris I had. I only had eyes for a Smith Corona Silent for about a decade. I sold it at a pinch, after getting a good number of pages out of it (a few thousand at least) and courting a few damsels.

What works for YOU works for YOU.

A simple measure of success:

Do you write at least a page per day on it?

Caveat.

I also think we have consumerism pounded into us from birth.

Do you know what JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter with? The typewriter she had.

“I had an old typewriter and a big idea.”

The same goes for just about every struggling writer in the history of the world, when it came to their early works.

And once they were world famous, they could upgrade their writing machines… however, do you know what? Most of them didn’t!

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, as the ancient Greek poet once said.

Write on,

Classic Typewriter Co.

PS.

And here are a few competing ultra-portable ideologies from the 50’s (A Hermes Rocket, Swiss Made, and the Groma Kolibri made in USSR Occupied West Germany).