Olympia SM3 & 9 Comparison

#typewriter #olympia #typewriterercollecting #typewriters
Joe compares a 1957 Olympia SM3 against a 1978 SM9.
00:00 Introduction
02:06 Profile Comparison
03:18 Top View Features
09:28 Keyboard Features
12:35 Keyboard Profile & Spacing
15:19 SM3 Key Springs
16:12 Carriage Return Levers
17:18 Logo Comparison
17:46 Bottom View Comparison
21:51 Ribbon Mechanisms
24:07 Typing Tests
28:57 Imprint Comparison
30:17 Final Thoughts

[@space_1073]

It's amazing how much typewriters embody the look of their time period. 60s machines look like cars from then

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Yes, great observation!

[@Surtak]

I absolutely adore the look of those earlier Olympias. This is steadily rising on my list of things to buy.

[@chriswriter84]

I'm about to get a beautiful Olympia SM3, the same one in your video, let's hope to win the eBay auction because I really like it!

[@roastawk]

I compared my SM9 to the one you showed. Olympia seems to have altered the machines throughout their production cycle. My SM9 still has a metal spring motor and a metal tabulator clutch, the type guide still has perlage, but the "DeLuxe" badge is painted instead of chromed. There is also a carriage lock lever similar to the SM3. The body is identical to the SM9 you demonstrated. The exact features seemed to vary. I believe my SM9 is older -- probably 1972 versus 1978. It is still a wonderful piece of equipment that can provide decades of dependable service. It still works as well as the day It was new.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Thank you, a great comparison and example of how manufacturing was constantly evolved to be less expensive to produce.

[@roastawk]

@@Joe_VanCleave I just did a serial number look up, and it turns out my machine was built in 1971. It also turns out you reviewed a wide carriage SM9 of similar vintage a few years ago. :-)

[@thomash3003]

Thank you for this video! My first typewriter is a Olympia SM2 (black body, german keyboard) from 1951. It was bought by an eye doctor (to succeed a worn out pre war Adler 7 (which I also own these days)) who was a friend of my grandparents. When he passed away it was handed over to my grandparents and they gave it to my parents. My parents gave it to me when i was a child so that I could join a course in touch typing. I was to small (aged 8 or 9) to get used to the force of typing with a manual typewriter and lost interest. So the typewriter was in the closet for the next 35 years until it got a professional overhaul and a small repair (replacing the rubber washers) and now it is almost like new as it was not used much in its 72 years of age. It looks almost like a SM3, but it lacks the tabulator and the touch control.

[@douglasjackson9058]

I have had both of these machines several times,having about 6 of each at one time or another and totally agree with your assessment 💯

[@markmcgrath4121]

Love this channel. I've been using a 1974 SM-8 regularly since 2005 and it is a wonderful machine. I've tried a late 70s SM-9 before and the difference in quality is noticeable. The same solid Olympia quality of the 50s and 60s was still present in the early 1970s, though. (It's just as good as my 1965 SM-8, in my opinion.) I also have two SM-3s ('56 and '58), one with a wide carriage, and there is nothing like them.

[@jeffbeyea8910]

I have an sm9 done over by Dale Haddon, and an SM3 done over by Darwin Raymond. Both are perfect- I can’t out type either one, and 75wpm is typical for me.

[@indie9hippie]

Ah. The wonderful SM9 as used by William Goldman. So glad to see you still on KZbin!

[@doctoralaska3915]

Great video, Joe. I have and use both daily.

[@tcwyse]

Joe, Modern PIca on the SM-9. It's a Courier variant. I prefer the 3 to the 9, so I'm not making the case for the 9, but my experience indicates that a well cleaned and adjusted SM will not jam keys or have the spacing issue you note. The 9s don't feel as good as the 3s to me, but I did just use a later 9 that types better than any 9 I've tried. It's much closer to the 3/4 feel. It's possible to lighten the touch of the Olympias, despite the common refrain to "Get used to it," and "That's how the German engineers wanted it to feel," and "It'll blow up if you even think of changing anything." I've spent a fair bit of time lightening touch on different machines by adding spring extensions, elongating holes, grinding compression springs to be thinner, etc. Very light touch requires better typing technique since the mechanisms are moving more slowly on the return, but I propose that no ordinary typist with good technique could outpace a well cleaned and adjusted Olympia, even if it was adjusted to be lighter than original. It's possible to reduce the play in the keys before the typebar moves that you noted. I'm sure there were Olympia engineers who "hot rodded" their own typewriters.

[@douglasjackson9058]

Enjoy your videos. I have 2- Underwood 3's. I do it backwards to you I put paper in a long paper guide,then adjust the fingers to the paper. Then adjust margins last. Going to try the order you used to get paper set up to type just to compare the 2. Thanks as always for all the work you put into these videos 👍

[@avq5]

Great comparrison! I wouldn’t trade my SM4 for any later model. The earlier models are so much more stylish and feel like precision machines. Besides plastic and non-chromed parts I’ve heard that by the 1970s many manufacturers were using softer metals which resulted in things falling out of adjustment more easily over time.

[@johnlennon1049]

I agree. I own a 1959 Olympia SM4. Hunter green and it is like new and types great. I also own a 1970 Olympia SM9. Beautiful machine, types well but I love the 1959 model much better.

[@robmckaughan]

Great comparison, as always. Thanks, Joe! My SG-3 has the same problem as your SM-9 with the first letter after a space being far from the rest of the word when typing at speed. I slightly reduced the frequency of the problem by fine tuning the escapement and space bar trip point, but I could never eliminate it. Perhaps it's just a fact of this era Olympia and manufacturing to lower tolerances for cost saving. One thing I haven't tried yet: getting a force meter and getting the carriage tension exactly on factory spec per the service manual.

[@BokBarber]

I also have a similar issue on my SG3, and it's not a late model (1967-68 based on the later coloring but earlier logo.) It's not after every space, but instead at the beginning of a new line after doing a carriage return. It seems to place that first character unevenly sometimes.

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

🙏

[@campbellpaul]

Yes, it is just the later production SM-9 that has those specific problems. My 1966 version is built more like the SM3, with the same looks as the SM9 you presented.

[@BoulderJR]

I have both an SM3 and SM9. I prefer the SM9 because of lighter shift. Both are great machines. My SM9 doesn’t share the problems you noted on your SM9.

[@brettmanuel3440]

I bought an SM9 a while back and it’s great. Reminds me of the SG (standard size) I learned to type on at school but easier to store!

[@aldolagana7126]

Currently I have an SM4 and SG1 next to each other. The SG1 was a total basket case when I got it and it still is not perfect with rusty springs deep in the typewriter, but it types well. The SM4 is practically perfect. It is smooth and fast and solid. My best manual typer for sure. My goal is to tweak the SG1 so that it is as close to the SM4 as possible, but like you, I fear going deep in tearing it apart so I may just end up living with its quirks. One thing I noted was I liberally sprayed "Dry Lube" that is made for bicycle chains into the SM4 in my early days of not realizing I should not lube these, but it *may* be just that, use dry lube more generously than you think because it is made to push out dirt and is teflon based and dries? I dunno, I may try that on the SG1.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I have used dry lube on several occasions for individual type bars that were prone to be sticky, even after multiple flushes with strong solvents. In these cases it did help, but I wouldn’t recommend it for general use because of the potential for metal wear.

[@CM-cb2km]

I started my van Cleave journey by trying out Joe's b&w Hydrogen Peroxide reversal process with my 8x10 camera, then tried the RA-4 colour reversal process and then ended up buying an Olympia SM-9 last month. Greetings from Sweden! 🙂

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Greetings!

[@roywilson6688]

Appreciate the videos, nicely done. I also own both machines.. personally I prefer the SM3, better typing action on mine plus I prefer the look, aesthetics of the SM3

[@Andykev]

I had an SM7 which is the "same" look and design of your SM9. It did not type as well as all my SM3's, and the "feel" was "off". I could not type as fast. My impression is that the later SM's were made with less "quality" not to say they are bad...jus the SM3 was far superior. I agree that the SM's are beautiful and works of art, but they do have a very different feel than my favorite typers..the Smith Corona Super/Silent era. Even the SMC 1970's machines (Galaxy)..I can type like the wind on one, vs the SM3 which requires a bit more care and deliberation in use. I sold my SM7 because (although beautiful - I had a mint example) it just did not have the best "touch" for me. Thank you for the great comparison. EDIT. I forgot that I still have one SM7 which has cursive type font and that is why I kept this example. It's "feel" is better than the other SM7 I sold. Don't know why but it is.

[@petercane6376]

Thanks Joe that you have done this in depth comparison. I have the chance of a beautiful condition SM3 and I was toying with the idea of getting the SM9 as it is half the price. After your review I feel I will go for the SM3. Hey it LOOKS better. The SM9 does not look right and as the years have gone by they have cut back on quality. I want a machine with a good feel to it. The engineering gone into the SM3 is just fabulous!!! I would say Top Notch on the High End bracket. Thanks for being honest. Honesty helps us decide.

[@JacyEberlein]

At the height of my typewriter collecting I had around fifty machines at any given time, with machines flowing in and out at a regular clip. The one I always keep going back to is the SM9, which is what is sitting on my typewriter table at this moment. I have four left: a Lettera 22, a rounded Hermes 3000, a SMC Electra 220, and an SM9. Only the SM9 sees regular use. Tried to love the SM3, but couldn't. What I will say is that the SM9 varied in quality wildly over its manufacture. I owned many copies, with the three body styles at one point. The one with the orange logo is definitely made more cheaply. My go-to remaining one is the earliest version, with the chrome and teal accents. On it, I just fly. Five pages at a go, no problem. Clean text alignment, no skipping or crowding. If anyone is looking for a good typewriter, you can't really go wrong with the SM9. But if you're going for the best, look for the ones with teal and chrome accents. It's my favourite by far.

[@alfonsoa68]

I’m agree with you. I already have The Olympia SM3 and before I was using the SM9 and like you said, the space between the letters are much better in the SM3, and my only problem is the carriage with the SM3, probably I need to figure it how to fix it.. Thank’s for your opinion between both typewriters .

[@danieldeary9344]

Love your videos. If you ever had a chance to test an SM7, you might find it to be a great compromise between your two models. It has a lot of nice chrome and just a few plastic parts. While mine is from 1962, it has that 70's look. The carriage shift adjustment to reduce the finger pressure does really work and to me it is similar to most of my basket shift typers.

[@TheScooterHoon]

I have an Olympia SM8, it's similar to the SM9, but has slightly different colours. I also have an SM3, the same as in this video. It had problems with the carriage dragging across the body, but I fixed it recently by replacing the rubber bushings. Now it works perfectly!

[@asaffin1]

I bought an SM9 as my first typewriter. I love it very much. But I understand what you mean about the feel. The typing feel is a bit more... loose. However, I can confirm that I cannot out-type the machine. I have been able to achieve some pretty impressive speeds on it without issue. So it could be that yours just needs a bit of a tune up. Or it could be that there were more substantial variations in quality between years or production runs.

[@susankuver8378]

This was a wonderful video! I have an early SM9 and fortunately have nit encountered the issues you have with your machine. But now I am wondering if some of the same inevitable cost cutting measures were taken with the SG3. I have never had my hands on one, but i would love for someone to compare it to the SG1 someday.

[@BokBarber]

Great video. It seems from the comments that these problems are mostly on the later model SM9's, so a good follow-up might be to directly compare an earlier and later SM9. I'd love to see that comparison. I 've heard that later SG3's are entirely different from the earlier ones in terms of construction, losing the cast iron frame, and I'd have to assume that if they made changes that drastic across their lineup, it would greatly impact performance. I don't personally own and SM9, but do have a mid-model SM3 and a mid-model SG3. Both are excellent typers in different ways. I prefer the overall feel of the SM3 as it's a much prettier typewriter with a nicer, more fluid typing feel, but I prefer the overall performance of the SG3, which has a very good but heavier touch, but way more features and seems to jam up way less and require less maintenance. Plus that sweet paper injector to really put it over the top. On a desert island I'd probably take the SG3, as it seems to be easier to clean and maintain. But if you put a gun to my head and told me to throw one of those two typewriters out of the window right now, I'd spare my SM3 and toss out the SG3 (throwing my back out in the process.) The SM3 just feels more personal and special somehow.

[@falconeasel6293]

I have two SM 9’s but they are earlier metal models from the sixties. They are bomber and type easier than any machine I have. SM 3’s have the carriage shift that have problems over time. They type fast but the carriage shift is not my favorite in any typewriter except an ultra portable. I love my SM 9’s ( I have two in case one ever needs repair) so don’t be put off by this review. If you get an older metal version I don’t think it would disappoint. mho

[@hyun-shik7327]

It’s a philosophical discussion really. Do you want the more beautiful machine or the more functional one?

[@FriedrichWilhelmViktorAlbert]

For me, function over beauty all day

[@AtelierDBurgoyne]

I am lucky to own a very lightly used 1972 SM9 that works superbly, without any issue. I can go back to a couple lines before to retype and it will type in the exact same spot as it typed before. Daniel

[@Joe_VanCleave]

The problem with these kinds of review videos is they only involve these two particular specimens, but end up representing the entire class of machines. I’m certain most SM9s were fine, like yours, but also quality could have been cut near the end of their production run. Thanks for watching!

[@AtelierDBurgoyne]

@@Joe_VanCleave very true. Cheers!

[@SoyKhalid]

I have tried many typewriters in my life, and hands down, the SM4 has consistently given me the best typing experience. Like you said, it's stiff, but I believe it's part of what makes these solidly-built machines the tactile feedback that I miss in the more modern versions.

[@claywebster7401]

I have an SM3 and 2 SM8 (late 1960s script machine that has the older Olympia logo & a 1970 machine with the new logo) and I prefer the SM8s because of the basket shift. It’s been my go-to machine for a couple of months now. I go between the SM8 in script and my SG1 in Senatorial.

[@infoscour]

It would be nice to do the same comparison but a SM9 that is earlier in production years. I think that would be a better compare.

[@elliotwhite32]

Love it

[@typerite3674]

My SM9 is the white with green shift keys from the 60s, and it doesn't have any of the issues exhibited by yours.

[@starlessgolightly]

We only have ever had one typewriter which is neither of those. But the one on the left _is_ intriguing. Could one imagine if there were a Leica typewriter?? We don't even own one of those but We did get to handle one and it was like the most legit thing ever.

[@emanresu04]

Thanks for the great comparison video! Could you tell me if the plastic card guide on the SM9 is the same as the SM3 (the entire card guide, not just the clear plastic parts)? I need to replace one and was wondering if one could be a replacement part for the other... TIA!

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

Wonderful video as always. You are blessed by some god.

[@dianemaher3538]

Regarding the feet on the SM-3, it's not surprising that the feet are soft. You replaced them in one of your earlier videos.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Duh! Thank you!

[@madzen112]

That SM3 was everywhere around here

[@giacintoboccia9386]

21:53 Rubber feets can be replaced with a 3D printer and TPU filament.

[@MostWantedPh]

2:06, you have a good camera, but you have to invest on some good lighting, you're presenting the side of the subject but it't the darkest part of the video.

[@elliotwhite32]

Joe what is the title of the video you are talking about at 13;44?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I goofed, it was a blog article, not a video: joevancleave.blogspot.com/2023/05/fine-tuning-sm9-with-keycap-toppers.html?m=0

[@lsvemir27]

Hi! Nice video, indead. I have one Q. for you, or can you help me ie. Give me a tip. I have Olivetti Invicta from 1936 and typewrtter is in excellent shape, but when I typing a text sometimes letters are jump ie. make automatic space between two letters and I must use return button every two three letters. Why is machine makes space between letters automaticly I can't figure out 😢 Is it not oiled enough or something else? Please tell me 😊 Ivan from Croatia All the best

[@Joe_VanCleave]

The escapement is skipping spaces. At the very least, start with thoroughly cleaning and degreasing the escapement area. After that, it might also need adjustment. Because of the age and relative rarity, it may not be easy to find a copy of the service manual.

[@lsvemir27]

@@Joe_VanCleave many thnx.

[@lsvemir27]

@@Joe_VanCleave Episode 46 :-) yeaahh

[@Allyballybean]

Does the SM3 MR key release both margins?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Yes!

[@jasonbanahan4618]

HI Joe! Are you related to a professor of Computer Science? :)

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Not that I know of!

[@mikequinlan9585]

It seems the SM 9 is getting a little tired, it’s due a good service and replacement of parts.

[@johnpjonesch]

I prefer the SM8. My SM9 is over engineered.

[@robertogaribotto7406]

Sorry trainee in......