Olivetti vs. Princess
Update: A short film of the Princess 300 in action is available here.
Some nonsense comparing Italian and German made mini-typewriters from a long time ago - and probably in a manufacturing galaxy far, far away.
Here and here (a) post(s) about (worst)writing with manual typewriters.
Trying to locate an in-great-condition, very cheap, vintage traveler typewriter is fun. Seriously. According to that silly auction web-page - yeah, that one - there are still millions if not gazillions of manual typewriters around the world. I’m almost sure that there is a (slight) connection between the manufacture of firearms and the existence of antique typewriters. The “connection” lies in the fact that… For some this might be painful to hear/read. The reason that there are so many old typewriters and even more guns (which way back when were usually made on the same machining tools) is that the sword is not mightier than the gun. In other words: the pen has lost the battle. Anywho.
The Sound.
I mean, it’s really a good thing that I don’t have a compulsive (or impulsive) personality that would/could lead to addiction. Otherwise I would be searching that silly auction web-page everyday to find the perfect vintage manual traveler typewriter for less than five bucks. As of now (see date of this post) I have a small collection of manual typewriters. Why I collect them? Well, I feel as though I have also lost a/the battle. Of course, I’m referring to the battle of have and have-not. But that old chestnut is included in many a post on this sight. In short, I am strangely attracted to the sound of manual typing. So I buy these things to work on and since most of them are older than I am, well, they break a lot. Boy, I especially enjoy the sound of my own typing.
The other day I finally received the typewriter pictured above. I paid 23,- Euros for it, including shipping. A bit pricey but worth it. I won the auction from fifteen other bidders. Whoopee. It’s an Olivetti Lettera 22. I’ve heard that this machine is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (although I can’t find it on their website) - but that’s not the reason I bought it. I’ve always wanted an Olivetti because I’ve heard that they have mystical powers - which could certainly help any unpublishable (worst)writer like me - and you can lube them with Olive Oil.
A little side note.
I had to give the seller of Lettera 22 a neutral rating because, contrary to his/her description, upon receiving it, it was not fully functional. I know that actually deserves a negative rating - but hey, that’s the type of idiot/loser/nice-guy I am. The keys stuck, the carriage didn’t move freely, the motor wire was broken and the automated ink-tape reversal mechanism didn’t work. Probably made sometime in the late nineteen fifties, even with the flaws of age, it’s still a great typewriter. It’s very light (4kg) - made mostly out of Aluminum - and has a great flexible yet sturdy case. It has a very soft and somewhat negative and vague typing mechanic which is very unlike my other favorite traveler machine the Princess 300.
After numerous hours of tinkering and figuring I was able to fix the Olivetti using very expensive olive oil and it works pretty good now.
The Princess 300 pictured above was made by whacky Germans in Bavaria. I paid 7,50 Euros for it. The design is from the sixties and this is probably the smallest full-size machine out there. It really does (attempt to) close the gap between being a “portable” and a “travel” machine. (This post contains a brief description of the difference between “portable” and “travel” typewriters.) It really mimics a full desktop typing machine - instead of actually being a small traveler machine. The type mechanism is the exact opposite of the Lettera. Where the Lettera is soft and vague, the Princess is hard and precise. There’s no fluctuation of alignment of letters, which is great, but you just can’t get any feeling between the keys and the hammers. The hammers, or the part that prints the letter to the page when it hits the platen, does so with almost uncontrollable force. Add to that the platen has lost its rubber effect… This is the loudest, smallest typewriter around!
Would you believe that I found an office supply store in Wiesbaden that said they could replace the platen rubber? Wow!
Also, a design error of the Princess is its weight which puts a lot of pressure on the carriage - especially when typing upper case. The Lettera has a ‘basket’ design which actually lowers the hammers to print upper case. (Which is brilliant, btw!). The Princess is more conventional where the carriage has to be pushed upwards so the hammers can produce upper-case letters. When I type fast on the Princess it just can’t keep up with the combination of my speed, the weight of the carriage and the fairly weak motor. (The ‘motor’ is nothing more than a coiled-spring and fishing line that pulls the carriage to the right margin of the page). So I have to type slow on the Princess. And that effects the music - you digg! I’m trying to figure out if there’s a way to modify the Princess carriage, including making the motor stronger but I don’t think that’s possible due to the key/hammer mechanic. It’s a shame really because I kind of like the ruggedness of the Princess. It really could have been a great machine but the problem lies in something that is typically German: over engineering.
For real typing I’d go with the Lettera 22 and for a break every once-a-once, and maybe to have a bit of fun with a letter or short story, I might use the Princess. The Princess bleeds engineering - it will last forever - but the Lettera is the machine that you can always just type on even though it’s not as precise. In fact, the Lettera is a bit like typing on a toy - but a toy that actually works in the real world. The Princess is mounted to the bottom of it’s case and the case is not as flexible as the Lettera where you can remove the machine and place it gently on your lap. Also, the Princess probably weighs twice as much as the Lettera. Both machines required a bit more “elbow grease” than I expected since they both were sold as ‘functional’. Nonetheless, these well crafted examples of another manufacturing era have been worth the effort. I’m probably going to purchase both of these machines a second time. I’m hoping to get a Princess 300 with a bit less use and will graduate to a Lettera 32 which was made as a follow-up and upgrade to the 22.
Oh. How could I forget this part? The sound, how do they sound…
The sound of the Princess I would compare to listening to Rock music. The sound of the Olivetti is a bit more like listening to jazz. And that’s cool. I guess.
For those interested, here’s a great source of information on portable typewriters.
-tgs-
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