TWVS - Episode 106: Silent-Super Vs Quiet-Riter

Joe compares the Smith-Corona Silent-Super with the Remington Quiet-Riter. Which would you choose, if you could only have one?
Here’s my review of the Quiet-Riter: • Typewriter Video Serie...
Here’s my review of the Silent-Super compared to the S-C Silent: • Typewriter Video Serie...
These are both great machines, but individual samples can vary greatly in quality, depending upon how they were cared for.

[@copyrightfreevideobyttf]

Bonus points for that excited grin while holding TWO cases at the very beginning of the video! 😁💼💼

[@garygronberg4310]

Well, I go with Smith-Corona for the portable martini bar feature, hands down. Tip: I solved a stinky gross ladies perfume malady on a Smith -Corona Coronet Super 12 electric by saturating 2 cotton balls in vinegar. They each went into upturned caps from gallon plastic milk jugs. Then, placed one in the type basket, one under the keys resting on case bottom. Closed the lid, let it sit. Took 3 repeats over a week or so, but totally fixed it.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Great tip, thank you!

[@garygronberg4310]

You're welcome. Big fan. Learned from you the pleasure of typing on some remote picnic table or cafe table, outside, nice day, blue sky. New ideas and wordsmithery flow thru your fingers from a fresh brain. Thanks!

[@douglasjackson9058]

Another fine video. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

[@aldolagana7126]

Really like your channel, Joe, having just been bitten by the typewriter bug. I have an older Remington, the "All-New Portable" which is not very common, but that thing is a tank (the case is gorgeous). It is even more stable than a Standard I have. I also own a 5AX Smith-Corona Sterling which is pristine, but not my favorite as it tends to be loud and shakes a bit. I am tending to like the rock solid units. Such as an Olympia SM4 I found without a case. That old Remington which although with broken parts (jammed right margin, broken paper-release lever and even two bent keys)...even with all that, the typing is super smooth and quiet and very solid imprint that between it and Olympia, those are my goto's right now.

[@FrankC76]

An excellent review (not just content-wise, but technically as well; I'm jealous of your editing skills) of my two favorite American portables of that period. The Smith-Corona takes the prize in the end for me. There's a reason they made more or less the same typewriter for 50 years. The design was an engineering home run. It just does everything well and it's very easy to work on to boot. The Remington is also great. It's heft puts it in a class (in my opinion) somewhere between a portable and a standard typewriter. I have the first generation of this model, which in the late 40's was called the Remington All-New, and it had the more attractive magnetic lid of the first generation. When I type on that machine, it just makes me smile. It has this action that sounds like a well oiled rifle breech sliding back and forth. It's the only typewriter in my huge collection that does this. It's like an oiled schucking sound that just smacks of a well engineered quality piece of equipment. If I were to choose either of these to be a stationary typewriter for long form writing I might go with the Remington. That added heft does help to prevent vibration and movement, and I think it was designed a little heavier duty Those extra 3 pounds came from somewhere. Again, however, the Smith-Coronas are hard to argue with in any setting.

[@havefunbesafe]

Picked up a cherry Remington for $60 on Craigslist!

[@thethriftyfawn]

For the odor Joe, something you could consider is M9 odor eliminator spray, which is a neutralizer deodorizer. It smells like nothing, and makes things smell like nothing after you spray them! I think the product might be spelled like "odour" here in Canada lol

[@troy808]

This is a awesome review of some portable typewriters!! Great video joe 🎞👌🏽

[@dltellet]

Nice video, as usual. I have both too, and I think the SC is the better machine, but the Remington is very attractive. Mine has a smooth paint finish that encourages one to fondle the curves and it really looks great on the desk. But I find the keycaps on the Remington to be a bit small so I'm not as comfortable typing on it as I am on the SC. I'dvbe happy with either one, but, as you say, best to have both so you don't have to make the choice.

[@thecollapseexperiment]

I am surprised you didn't discuss the loading of the ribbon in the Remington, it is a pain. The smith corona uses disposable ribbons spools.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Yes, I should have mentioned that. Although I was using plastic universal spools where the center portion pushes out to make it Remington compatible.

[@havefunbesafe]

It's not a pain, it's a labor of love!

[@vincentaurelius2390]

Love the review. I have both of these machines, same colors, too. If I wanted one just to display I’d pick the Remington but if I had to pick one to use every day it would definitely be the Corona. It just feels like a higher quality machine and the keys don’t “sweat” (exude a white oily substance) like on the Remington.

[@wageslave9951]

I have a much older Remington quiet riter, don't know why I love it but it just feels so right. Personal preference lol

[@MxtrZ]

These videos are great! I have the same two and I also have an Olympia sm3 which you did a comparison with.

[@sonnybeach1953]

I have a Quiet-Riter and a 1953 SC Sterling (pretty comparable model to your Silent Super). My choice is, hands down, the SC Sterling. I absolutely love the short, snappy keystroke on the SC. Mine had a skipping problem too when I bought it. But I oiled (gun oil) the escapement area and started typing on it. After a couple of weeks it lost it's skipping problem. I liked that old one that cost me $7 at St Vinnie's so much that I bought another (1952 SC Sterling) for $40. The second one has much less use and seems a little tighter. But the same short, snappy keystroke is there. Love these things!

[@Euroflounder]

I've found that Smith-Coronas are generally more compact than average machines. I'm actually in the process of repairing a quiet-riter deluxe right now; I don't really care for it. Thanks for the video. P.S. I love the bit with the floor scale.

[@ELDogStar]

I just got the Remington, in excellent shape. 12 char/inch.

[@sonnybeach1953]

My Quiet-Riter only allows, if I remember, five spaces after the bell rings before it comes to the hard stop. This is aggravating. I literally have set the right margin way over so it'll never ring the bell and I just have to watch my typing to tell when to do a CR. Talk about losing an important feature!

[@KimGBrown]

The 5 series Smith-Coronas were available in 5 colors. Alpine Blue, Coral Pink, Desert Sand, Sapphire Grey and yes, Seafoam Green. The Seafoam Green is a comparable color to your Remington. Your Smith is Sapphire Grey. The Sapphire Grey and Desert Sand (brown) are the most common colors found. Many were purchased in bulk by businesses and schools which stuck to the more traditional business colors of the day. In 1973, my 7th grade typing class had Sapphire Grey Smith-Coronas identical to the one you have there.

[@loveisall5520]

For whatever reason, in a half century of buying machines I've never wanted a Remington, either the office manuals or the portables. I prefer/preferred Underwood and Olivetti and Royal office manuals and S-C and Olivetti portables. However, I would love to have the Remington Twenty-Five office electric from the sixties. Take that back--I forgot I owned the first model of Remington office electric from the late forties--but I still preferred the Underwood All-Electric from the same period.

[@leecreighton]

The way that these machines became “silent” was to use a different platen. Silent machines were intended for the operator to switch out the platens, so only machines with silent typing mode have the easy to remove platens.

[@theonebegotten]

How can you jumpcut the platen removal 6:35 when the point is it's so easy to remove. Jesus

[@MathieuAlepin]

I have that Smith-Corona, but the ribbon won’t advance. Is that fixable?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I’d start with degreasing the ribbon drive mechanism.

[@MathieuAlepin]

@@Joe_VanCleave Thank you, Joe Van Cleave! Is there a typewriter grease that you would recommend?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

@@MathieuAlepin Degreasing means removing the hardened residue of old lubricants. I use lacquer thinner in a squeeze bottle with a narrow applicator tip. Do this outdoors, the vapors are flammable. Cover all plastic and painted surfaces of the machine with rags to protect them. The solvent evaporates quickly, so you spray it on the parts, rapidly type to work the mechanism then quickly blow out the residue with a compressed air hose. Use an air compressor, not canned air, you want to remove the gunk with the lacquer thinner. Repeat multiple times. Don’t get the solvent on the keys, the carriage, the paint, etc.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

After thoroughly degreasing I recommend applying LPS1 spray lubricant only in the moving parts of the ribbon drive mechanism, under the ribbon spools, and on the rotating parts of the cross-shaft underneath.

[@MathieuAlepin]

@@Joe_VanCleave Thanks for the information, Joe. I’ll try my best. Besides the ribbon not advancing, the ribbon mechanism won’t go down. Sounds like the degreasing cleanup you suggest might fix these two issues. Thank you for all your help and informative videos. Wishing you a good creative productive week and type on!

[@nurlatifahmohdnor8939]

Page 46 re-ja (Sl.) = unused = things that no longer be used = recyclable material recycl|able = about ki-tar se-mu-la e-ja = about word spelling

[@taylorkolesar6769]

Joe I have a Remington Rand Quiet Writer it looks almost exactly like the one in this video. I can not find the serial number to save my life. Where would I locate this?

[@Sharko-nv5gd]

If I remember correctly, look under the top cover

[@joaogalde9735]

Hi, not legend !