Olympia Traveller C Portable Typewriter -Beige- Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I recently purchased this handy little typewriter. It was simple to set up, came with a black and red ribbon already installed and works like a manual should.
Pros: simple functions with a few extras thrown in. There is a spacing selector that goes from 0-.5-1-2, margins are easily set, paper feeds well, doesn't jam, lightweight (which can also be a con) small footprint, easy to carry with the case cover/ carry handle. You can also select from Red, stencil and black type with a two-toned ribbon. If you get a double black ribbon, you can rewind it and set it to Red and it will use the other half of the ribbon, or you can just put it back in upside down.You get an old fashioned bell-ring notification when you have space for four characters remaining on a line. There is a fast-forward space key for ease typing on forms. There is also a handy key that helps unstick letters if you strike two keys at once. More than two, you do it by hand.

Cons: If you aren't used to typing on a manual, or have never done it, you will be extremely frustrated. You have to pound those keys. On my machine, the letter "a" doesn't strike very well. You can hit it as hard as you want and it doesn't show up clean. But, as I'm not using this to type any finished products of any kind, it hardly matters.

Also, the keyboard, while laid out in a standard qwerty set-up is slightly different from what most will be used to. The colon-semi-colon key next to L is replaced by an N with a tilda and the Apostrophe/quote key is the semi-colon key. The apostrophe is moved to the shift key on the number 8, which takes a lot of getting used to, and there is an accent key in place of a quote key, so you have to use two apostrophes for quotes. It ain't like using a word processor.

The unit is so light, that when moving the carriage back and forth, you sometimes move the whole machine and it can get to walking off a table after a few lines if you aren't careful. The rubber feet help more when using a glass table top or polished wood.

There is no backspace/whiteout function. If you got a ribbon that was half correction tape, you could theoretically use the red selector to type corrective tape over a letter, probably using the X or W since they leave a pretty big print and might cover the mistake, then go back and type over it again. You might as well just type Xs over your mistake and move on, saving the pretty looks for the computer.

This isn't a heavy workload typewriter, but it's very portable and well-priced for what it is. If you are looking to do heavy or clean typing the old-fashioned way, you'd be better off getting a refurbished manual from the old days, or go for an electric. With used IBM Wheelwriter going for about $800 online, you might just want to buy a notebook laptop and printer.

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Product Description:
Olympia is one of the few manufacturers that continues to make a manual typewriter. There are still a large number of people that prefer the "feel" and simplicity of a quality manual.This small typewriter is ideal for anyone on the move. It is always at hand when you most need it. Perfect for use indoors or outdoors, this neat compact machine is simple to operate - even the most inexperienced user will find it a pleasure to use for those little typing jpbs.Despite its delicate looks, the Traveller C is sturdy and robust, and offers a number of useful features to make your typing even simpler. Margins, line spacing and impression control can be adjusted as required. Using the ribbon swith lever, you can set the two-colour ribbon to black or red, or you can even produce a stencil. This typewriter is available in English only.As a bonus the Traveller C comes complete with a hard plastic cover with handle that snaps down over the typewriter to form a carrying case .Taveller C from Olympia - the handy portable typewriter.