Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Hammacher Schlemmer Flimflam?

Witness the Classic Manual Typewriter for sale at Hammacher Schlemmer, a catalog retailer in the U.S.. Priced at $199.95 and sporting a profile not at all dissimilar to a late-model Brother, this machine is supposedly newly manufactured, "not refurbished" (as the catalog proudly states.)

Just for comparison's sake, here's my own machine: $3 from the thrift store, plus a can of automotive paint:

Brother Correction 7, After

I bet $199.95 spent at someplace like Cambridge Typewriter will get you a better machine than this new "Royal" whatever-it-is, and will actually last, too.

6 comments:

Richard P said...

Yeah, 200 bucks for this is 200 bucks down the drain. However, it seems to indicate that manual portables are still being made in China, which is kinda nice to know.

Lauren Hairston said...

Sheesh! My 1930s Corona cost less than that.

mpclemens said...

Lauren, I'm sure that Corona is a lot better-looking, too. And has another few decades in it.

notagain said...

Oh for pity's sake! That would buy half my collection! It is too reminiscent of the SuperDeluxe

notagain said...

and here is a blatant falsehood: "The 44 keys make 88 symbols in 10-characters-per-inch Pica 87 font."
the period, at least, would mae the same character.

Mark said...

I have one of those, given to me as a gift and actually my first typewriter. It is highly disappointing, and not a Royal at all. I know it's not a Royal because I saw an indentical "Olivetti" somewhere.

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