testing for my favorite key shape

[@tmunk]

Protip: on the Super-5's with the block rubber feet, you can use a nail file to sand the shiny off the bottoms of the feet to restore factory grippiness on the desk. (well, any rubber feet, but works especially well on the Super-5's) (:

[@douglasjackson9058]

I agree about the sharp underside of key tops being sharp and I hate scraping my fingers just behind my fingernails. One of my future projects will be to take the keys off and drag sharp edges across sandpaper to remove the sharp edge or possibly use a buffing wheel to remove the sharp edges. We enjoyed your video,wife absolutely loved your nails.😍

[@charlescale1013]

"Somebody's been typing on MY typer and they jammed up the keys!" (Goldilocks reference). For me, I love the tombstone 'glass' top keys on my Royal Dreyfuss QDL.

[@JillR805]

I love my Smith Corona 5TE machines( I have six!). They are easy to type either as the electric action allows me to type fast, there pitch isn’t steep and the keys are comfortable!

[@archivist17]

I have this problem when trying to touch type particularly, and i hate getting my fingers stuck. Big gaps and long throws are good to look at, but less than fun to use.

[@zyllofmitain]

I just thought of this when you discussed the pitch of the keyboard; maybe a manufacturer could make the typewriter equivalent of an electric guitar…electric pickups for each key that sends your key strokes to your computer. So you can type on paper but also sending what you’re typing to your word processor.

[@charlescale1013]

Genius! I'd love that if it existed!

[@benettnagy7362]

In the whole video I was waiting for the underwood goldwn touch machines but I enjoyed the whole video

[@JustMyTypewriter]

I don’t have any more underwood’s in my collection with the golden touch shape!

[@TypicallyMartn]

my favourite shape of keys is on the Consul 2223. I got it for 2 pounds, and it is in perfect shape!

[@ygstuff4898]

The Smith Corona "rounded triangle"/"tear drop" shape is nostalgic for me (first typewriter I ever used), but I found my fingers don't like the keys. But when my fingers play across my Olivetti Lettera DL, those thin, square keys are very inviting and comfortable.

[@Weird-Girl]

I have a Corsair deluxe too and the same thing happens with my fingers getting stuck between keys 😂 I honestly thought it was because I have chubbier fingers but- apparently not XD I still use it and like it but eventually I might look into getting another one.

[@edwardweiss7145]

See if the blue Century's space bar is out of alignment... it bound up for a moment in your video before fully popping up. I thought maybe your mat was causing it to get stuck. There may also be rubber spacers (not familiar with your Century) that may have flattened over time that need to be replaced and that can raise the inner frame higher up and that MIGHT solve the spacebar issue. My new SM2 has completely squashed spacers and that causes the carriage to glide too low and get caught up and snagged on the frame... just ordered new spacers and that will realign everything--- just a possibility

[@danieldeary9344]

Good in-depth evaluation. I am puzzled about your brief eval of the Olympia SM7...I"m a hunt and peck person too, just with short unpolished fingernails. I don't find the angle of keys any more extreme than other typers. I wonder if you didn't like it because of the carriage shift being hard to press. This can be remedied by doing a very simple adjustment of two little nuts in the rear. Duane Jenson from Phoenix Typewriter does a good video on how to do this. I love the series 5 SCM's too!

[@JustMyTypewriter]

I found that the keyboard just didn't work for me, but again everything is personal preference!

[@claywebster7401]

Watching from Rome, Italy this week. Always enjoy your videos. (That shade of nail polish was fabulous!). I probably gravitate to the Smith Corona 5 series most but I also have a smith Corona class is 12 that I like because it’s a wide carriage and I can also type the envelopes on the same machine. For key feel on electrics can’t beat the Selectric. I have also found my Underwood Touch Master Five 1967 is enjoyable (but I need to adjust the shift so that the capitals are lower, they are current a millimeter out of alignment and it’s driving me nuts

[@lorensims4846]

Fascinating! Rather than modifying the keys, it sounds like it just might be worthwhile to actually learn to touch type. Setting the touch control lighter might help. I first learned to touch type on manual typewriters. That's why I'm now looking to get a typewriter because I haven't yet found a computer keyboard that feels appropriate. Oh, they're great for the way I currently type, with three or four fingers on each hand or even just with one hand. I have trouble calling it "hunt and peck" because there's very little "hunting" going on and my hand(s) is/are dancing all over the keyboard hitting keys with whichever finger is convenient. But I absolutely have to be able to watch the keyboard. I can get anywhere between 45-65 wpm this way, which has been adequate all my life, but I can't help thinking I could type even faster if I use the touch typing I started to learn in high school. I can't imagine my current computer keyboarding style would work well on a manual typewriter. I really enjoyed touch typing while it was working. It was almost like typing words without thinking about it.

[@synthnerd4539]

The Adler is a weird one as well, very tall and steep - takes a bit of getting used to I find. Against my expectations, I ended up really liking the Lettera 32 with its weird square keys and pencil-like spacebar - again it took a while to adjust but it's a very useable machine for a long haul.

[@dianemaher3538]

Interesting video. I agree that typewriter keys do feel different and that every machine has a different character as a result. I find that I enjoy using the machines with the glass-topped keys the most. Something about the feel of the glass beneath my fingertips; it's hard to explain. For lengthy typing sessions, I would use a standard model of Olympia, L.C. Smith, Royal or Underwood. Do you hunt and peck on a computer keyboard? Just curious.

[@JustMyTypewriter]

I only hunt and peck on typewriters - I promise I’m capable of typing correctly!

[@Saboda53]

Great idea for a comparison test! And, as you suggest, something we should all test for ourselves. Sigh, I do wish you were a traditional 10-finger touch typist, as that certainly might change the results. Same for having nails vs. those of us who don’t. (Then again, as you clearly say, our results may vary.) Finally, dumb question, but have you tried your lightweight ultra-portables on a rubber-backed typing mat? Here it seems like the round mat you’re using tends to slide quite easily, negating any rubber feet the machines may have. Just wondering.

[@JustMyTypewriter]

It is a rubber backed mat! I made my own typing matt using a rubber backed bath mat

[@Saboda53]

@@JustMyTypewriter Cool. (And it looks nicer than ordinary typewriter mats. Like a human being was here.)

[@Lexig76]

I’ve yet to find a machine that truly feels comfortable to type on, but hands down the worst keys to type on is my Skyriter in the 4Y series. So clunky and just…. difficult :(

[@joeycredible]

I keep hearing everyone loving 5 series but i had one and felt it was still too mushy and i'd have to push too far. Tried Royal QD and thought my fingers would never reach the bottom. The escapements would both skip too, making me get so many errors. I had a beautiful mint condition Royal Safari cursive machine but those keys are so bunched and tge pitch was weird for me. I most recently sold an Olympia sm8 i had. It's a beautiful machine but it wasn't ideal for me. I agree with you that the pitch was too drastic and sm8 has no touch control. I can't use my Sears-branded Corsair almost at all since the type action is so cumbersome and stiff. Japanese machines are generally great but their one usual drawback is they require heavy hands and can wear you down. I have a Webster xl747 that I'm nursing back to health ; what i like is i can actually do home key position naturally on it which is why I may jeep it, plus it's super reliable overall, the perfect size and weight for an ultra portable, super charming and has a covering on the bottom which all typers should. But this week I vot my hands on a Galaxie Deluxe believed to be broken but it's very fixable. Right away, I hit a few keys and it was magic, I don't know why it gets so overlooked as a top great typewriter because it's aesthethically great, nice size and weight for a portable, great padded return lever, great pull out instead of snap off ribbon cover, great key layout, such a smooth action, touch control, reliable and perhaps best of all, it has that unjamming key for stuck typeslugs which really makes a difference.

[@JustMyTypewriter]

That’s the beauty of it- everyone has different preferences!