Royal Manual Typewriter black (79100G)

I read all 20 reviews on the Amazon site before pulling the trigger and rolling the dice that this typewriter wouldn't be broken during shipping. That really seemed to be the delineation between a good and bad review for this machine.Because of that, I wondered as I waited whether or not the Royal Epoch was made of flimsy plastics. Would it fly apart under heavy use? Would the carriage return lever -- something many people wrote negatively about -- be as fragile as claimed?Well, I was pleasantly surprised. It's plastic, sure, but it's very heavy plastic, almost metallic to the touch. It's heavier than it looks. Everything was attached. No bugaboos during shipping (whew!). I put it through its initial paces and everything was in working order. This is a very good machine!One thing I must caution those who are considering it, though -- manual typewriters are not for the faint of heart. You have to be a true writer, someone who wants to connect with their inner Hemingway, Gellhorn or the like. There will be no corrections. It won't be pretty on the page, like a computer printed document. This is old school and your nimble keyboard fingers may very well not be up to the task.Now that's something else I noticed throughout the reviews I read. If you were someone who grew up and learned to type on a manual, you're hunky-dory with the idiosyncratic nature of these beasties. If you're a newbie? You're gonna have a learning curve. Don't give up!In time, you will discover the freedom a manual gifts to you. Writing at a computer invites distraction. If you're on a manual, you are there to write. And write you will! You might be tempted to hit eBay and find a vintage manual and you are welcome to do so. The vintage machines are outstanding to this day, especially the Royal Quiet Deluxe (I have one of those). But they do require a lot of upkeep. This Royal Epoch pays homage to its ancestors while be a modern and, thusly, easier to maintain beastie. Buy this machine. You will not be disappointed! (Unless it's shipped badly, lol). Good luck!

Using this machine reminds me of playing a musical instrument. You really do have to keep a certain tempo or it just doesn't work properly. The keys get all jammed up but I think this is something you accept when you purchase a manual typewriter. I'm having fun with it and it's a nice change from a PC now and then. Given this age of non-existent digital security a manual typewriter is in my opinion an excellent option if you need to write something privately... even when there is no electricity. It's either that or a pen and paper? I see there are some bad reviews out there for damage during shipping but my machine made it all the way to Hawaii and no damage at all. It works great!My biggest hangup is that there is correction function with this machine. I suspect this is also something you just have to accept when you purchase a manual typewriter. Even so, I'm very happy with my purchase and to me it was a reasonable price. I don't know why they didn't include a picture of the case in the posting. It is certainly comes in handy!

The typewriter is a very, very basic one. Yes, you get what you pay for. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting to have the same quality of that of a top of the line, vintage typewriter. However, I did expect it to at least function properly. I'll also admit that I'm a novice at this but I learned how to type in high school many moons ago so I knew the keys would require much more pressure than our modern keyboards. But this will in fact break any nails you may have after constant pressing down on the keys...just so you know. You must press firmly in order to achieve an even application of the ink. Otherwise, you'll achieve faded or an incomplete lettering onto the paper. I can get past that since the the keys pad tend to soften over time. Secondly, the letter "e" and "a" seem to strike higher that the rest of the letters. Which is a problem in itself since most words use the letter "e" and or "a". However much of my disdain is the fact that no one, not even the seller, can tell my why or how to remedy the ink smudging or leaving dust after typing. Although spanking brand new, I don't know if I need another ribbon or if this is just a piece of junk...probably a little of both I would presume. If you want a typewriter just for the sake of having one, try your local antique shop. I wouldn't recommend this product. You can have mine!