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1968 Olympia SM9 Serial # 3567066 1968 Olympia SM9 typewriter, Serial # 3567066 Types McGilicuddy's 1968 Olympia SM9 typewriter. 2024-10-01 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Types McGilicuddy: 1968 Olympia SM9 Serial # 3567066 I'm afraid I may be committing typewriter heresy with this review, but I hope not. Please hear me out.
This is by all accounts the best machine I have ever owned -- by reputation and general consensus -- and I am blessed to have it in my collection.
That said, it is the machine I *least* enjoy actually typing on, and for that reason, use it less often than I probably should. My other typewriters, from relative cheapies to full-on 'rescues', get far more attention and use than this Crown Prince.
I do use it regularly for narrowly defined purposes -- final drafts of short stories, formal correspondence, and so on -- but have yet to develop a hankering that draws me to use it on a whim. Each of my other typewriters (albeit, a relatively small number) attract me in ways that this machine simply does not.
On the plus side, it is built like a tank, solid metal, with pleasing aesthetics, combining rounding and curves with some angularity. Its build, however, limits it primarily to desk use. If I'm taking a typewriter out the door, it's never this one (or my Underwood 21, for the same reason).
The mechanics of its key and slug action are also a drawback. Perfectly functional, nevertheless it feels as though I am striking each key individually as opposed to flowing through each word on a stream of thought. It's hard to describe the feeling in less flowery language, except to say that although there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, the feel is completely different (and less preferable) than my other typewriters.
For this reason, it would be odd (and I have tried) to pound away on a draft on the Olympia SM9 De Luxe. It simply feels too precious.
So, am I planning to rid myself of this burden? Not on your life. But neither would I mourn excessively if it were swept up in The Rapture. (God tends to favor reputation over practical use.)

1968 Olympia SM9 #3567066

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Types McGilicuddy (TypesMcGilicuddy)
Created: 10-01-2024 at 12:17PM
Last Edit: 10-01-2024 at 01:05PM

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Description:

I'm afraid I may be committing typewriter heresy with this review, but I hope not. Please hear me out.
This is by all accounts the best machine I have ever owned -- by reputation and general consensus -- and I am blessed to have it in my collection.
That said, it is the machine I *least* enjoy actually typing on, and for that reason, use it less often than I probably should. My other typewriters, from relative cheapies to full-on 'rescues', get far more attention and use than this Crown Prince.
I do use it regularly for narrowly defined purposes -- final drafts of short stories, formal correspondence, and so on -- but have yet to develop a hankering that draws me to use it on a whim. Each of my other typewriters (albeit, a relatively small number) attract me in ways that this machine simply does not.
On the plus side, it is built like a tank, solid metal, with pleasing aesthetics, combining rounding and curves with some angularity. Its build, however, limits it primarily to desk use. If I'm taking a typewriter out the door, it's never this one (or my Underwood 21, for the same reason).
The mechanics of its key and slug action are also a drawback. Perfectly functional, nevertheless it feels as though I am striking each key individually as opposed to flowing through each word on a stream of thought. It's hard to describe the feeling in less flowery language, except to say that although there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, the feel is completely different (and less preferable) than my other typewriters.
For this reason, it would be odd (and I have tried) to pound away on a draft on the Olympia SM9 De Luxe. It simply feels too precious.
So, am I planning to rid myself of this burden? Not on your life. But neither would I mourn excessively if it were swept up in The Rapture. (God tends to favor reputation over practical use.)

Typeface Specimen:

Hunter: Types McGilicuddy (TypesMcGilicuddy)

Types McGilicuddy's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 35

An old soul in an even older body. Lifelong writer who started on a typewriter, forgot that they existed when computers came on the scene, and then rediscovered their utility (and blessed simplicity!) as a Weapon of Mass Creation. Have owned 10+ but am now limiting myself to 5 machines at a time, and committing to actually using them on a daily, weekly, or (at worst) monthly basis.


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