Have you checked in with the people who might be sleeping? I did. My wife likes the sound of typing. She finds it relaxing. She insisted that I type at night. If you are not yet married, give it some thought. :)
Very interesting comparisons! Unusual to hear the older and newer sounding ones. I agree with you on the thermal typewriters. I have used IBM Selectrics, but as you fly through the keys and when that ball hits the carriage, then returns, it is very noisy! Thanks for this review, enjoying your detailed vids!
For me the Olympia SM3 sounded “best”, maybe because it is my favorite machine :) One thing to keep in mind seems to me is the steadyness of a noise. The Thermo might be less noisy, but the sound of the printer will be sporadic and that might cause irritation for the sleeping people. Like cars in the night: steady traffic might sound like the ocean, while just one car every hour will alarm you. I checked with my neighbors if they hear the typing - “What typing?!?” But now I have to end. Inspired by your video I have to type on my Kolibri :)
Well, I think the 'sound' is all part of the love of manual typing. I would be able to type at night as my husband could sleep through anything but if he couldn't I'd buy him ear plugs ;- ).
As someone who shares a house, I tend to do all of my typing during the day. As for when I write, I do best from about 12pm - 5am (in my undergraduate years I did a lot of late night cramming due to procrastination). I tend to favor writing by hand during the daytime, and on the computer at night. Not sure why. Great video as always.
I wish i could do late night typing. But here i am, 14, and each one i have is louder than the other. And at night it sounds like machine gunshots going off inside the house!
I do not need to do a comparison! Hands down my quietest typewriter is my underdog 1962(I think) Royalite ultraportable, the original curvy one. I believe a previous video you did with Kevin Kittle reviewed its precursor or it was branded differently. I searched but so far have not found that video. I don't know what makes it so quiet but I suspect it is an indication of its unsung quality of construction.
Thanks for this Joe, it was quite informative. I'm a morning writer, always have been, and for many years (not now) I would be up way before my spouse, writing, and it was with either an Olympia or an Underwood. I wrote in a basement office, and it didn't seem to bother my sleeping spouse. Today, thankfully, while I still write in the mornings from 8-11 a.m. (never in the evenings) I do so in an otherwise empty house, as my spouse heads out the door for essential work. My dogs sleep through my racket.
Joe....to be frank, have you ever suspected slight hearing or frequency loss in your right ear? Because to my ear, ALL of the machines were quieter than the Groma Kalibri, especially the Royal QDL. The Kalibri has a much higher metallic pitch than the others. Either that, or the microphone was slightly closer to the Kalibri than the others. I could be wrong !
Do you still have your Quiet-Riter? It would be interesting to compare it to QDL sound levels... I'm at my most creative early in the morning, but I'm not disciplined enough to take advantage of that time slot.
Joe, would you ever consider doing a video on your microphone collection and lighting collection that you use for youtube, and which are your favorites? Your lighting and audio are always ON POINT! If you have done this already, I'm sure I'll find the video eventually. Keep up the great work!
Always interesting when you do these side-by-side comparisons. I was really surprised how well the later style Hermes 3000 you have performed, especially since plastic bodied machines tend to be noticeably louder than metal bodied machines. Makes me wonder how well one of my Rockets or my Featherweight would fare against your Groma in terms of loudness. I do tons of late-night typing, and I find myself using my wide carriage Hermes 3000 the most.
This was a great video! Personally, I'm limited to a 1959 Hermes Rocket and a Smith-Corona Merchant Corsair (not sure of the year by its serial number and looks nearly identical to your Cougar typewriter) as my full access. Hands down, the Hermes Rocket is quieter at night minus the bell not working on it currently. Every time I type on the Smith Corona Corsair, the other roommates start yelling at me for using it at night. I'm a night writer myself, so this has resulted in trying to find other ways to manage it. Repetitive motion injuries also cause a lot worse on a computer keyboard, rather than a typewriter. While I try to write with dictation when I can and am in the process of learning shorthand to help compensate, it's an ongoing challenge. I would love to be able to type late at night on a routine basis.
Joe, do you still have your wonderful Underwood Portable from the 1930s? Is it still alive and well?:) I have this kind of Underwood Portable and it's surprisingly quiet (though I don't have many typewriters to compare it with). I also have Underwood Noiseless Portable, on which I've been typing quite late at night with almost no problem (I mean it's not "noiseless", but it is still relatively quiet).
Yes, still have it, working fine. I didn't use it in the comparison because I don't see using that old of a machine for heavy creative writing. I wish I had time to compare every machine, however. Maybe a future video.
@@Joe_VanCleave It doesn't matter how old a typewriter is. Some of the best were made in the thirties and forties, and they made the noiseless up through the fifties. One in good shape will work beautifully.
I second the noiseless portable Underwood/Remington. I'm a night owl, my husband is not. He can't hear the typewriter outside of the close office door into our bedroom. IMO, Glossy paint of these portables is one of the most beautiful models.
My "Achilles Heel" exactly Joe! Unfortunately I live in an APARTMENT building and ALL of my neighbors WILL hear me if I type into the "wee hours". So? Just like any other "noise" I restrict myself to typing until 9PM! After that? I make notes with my pen and pad and begin typing once again from those the next day at 9AM, aka during "BUSINESS HOURS" only. On SATURDAYS after 12:00 Noon. NEVER on SUNDAYS!
It's 07/18/22. Yesterday evening I have one of my 'stream of consciousness' times and generated around 20 pages of typing on my Smith-Corona Secretarial 300 electric, a true joy to use. Again, I think these little manuals are cute; I've owned two Hermes 3000s. But, I generated those pages, single spaced, in a little more than an hour. At least for me, no way to keep up with my thoughts on a small manual machine. For me, drooling time over my large number of typewriters is separate from when I made them work for their living!
This was really interesting, as I do a lot of typing late at night. I've been using mostly a Remington Deluxe model 5, but I'll soon have a Remington Noiseless model 7. Maybe I'll have to do a side by side between those two. :)
Well, thanks for that video. My most silent TW is my Quiet-Riter, made in the UK close to the end of that aera.followed by the Hermes 3000 curvey . But these are subjective impressions, and i think the tone or pitch makes ist.These snappy machines like Torpedo can annoy by the sound, not by the volume. And btw. Thrusttypemachines, the Adler Favorit are quite well in sound..just a low "tschunk tschunk"
I thought the Olympic was quietest. All of mine are noisy, even the Remington noiseless. Since I have a word per day goal, it doesn't make too much difference when I write, because no one can hear me anyway. I'm at the other end of the house.
Both of mine are PORTABLES. MOM's older OLYMPIA and my "younger" ROYAL. BOTH are superb machines though I do think my Mom's older, 1960's era, OLYMPIA has the edge in the "quieter" contest. Even with my ham fisted hands POUNDING down on its superbly balanced keys.
Once every 1-2 weeks I love staying up all night to do video editing. No one bothers me, and I can get slightly "un"focused enough to not question myself as I work. Thought of a video idea for you Joe- if you haven't done so already, would you consider doing this challenge again, but to determine the LOUDEST typewriter in your collection? That would also be very entertaining!
Oh my goodness... I'll refrain from telling a storytime here, but let's just say I had a relative in the household during my childhood who would use typewriters into the wee hours of the night... on school nights!!! 🙄
I have one of these thermal typerwiter but my batteries last a few hours or so (and they don't sell rechargeable ones where I am, plus, the previous owner didn't had the power cable).
I just uploaded a very raw video of (well, sort of) comparing my Groma Modell N, Underwood Portable and Underwood Noiseless Portable typewriters (can be seen under my user name and videos section). I actually filmed this video about a year ago and now decided to upload it. Who knows, perhaps someone is interested:) (p.s. here I commented as Silver, but my channel is under this name here)
Of course the GROMA was quieter! It originated in EAST GERMANY didn't it? EVERYONE had to be "quiet" (Or ELSE!!!) over there during that USSR imposed repressive regime!
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Very cool, just got my first typewriter and have typed a dozen Christmas letters already. No typing past 9p.m. In my house, lol.
Wow! What kind of typewriter do you have? :)
@@silverteinbas Royal Empress 1965
Have you checked in with the people who might be sleeping?
I did. My wife likes the sound of typing. She finds it relaxing. She insisted that I type at night.
If you are not yet married, give it some thought. :)
This is a rare channel which combines pertinent, arcane information with excellent arrangement and clarity.
Thank you!
A large body will make it louder: the Royal Safari is a great example. My Antares Parva is pretty darn quiet, with more mechanical than impact sound.
Very interesting comparisons! Unusual to hear the older and newer sounding ones. I agree with you on the thermal typewriters. I have used IBM Selectrics, but as you fly through the keys and when that ball hits the carriage, then returns, it is very noisy! Thanks for this review, enjoying your detailed vids!
For me the Olympia SM3 sounded “best”, maybe because it is my favorite machine :) One thing to keep in mind seems to me is the steadyness of a noise. The Thermo might be less noisy, but the sound of the printer will be sporadic and that might cause irritation for the sleeping people. Like cars in the night: steady traffic might sound like the ocean, while just one car every hour will alarm you.
I checked with my neighbors if they hear the typing - “What typing?!?”
But now I have to end. Inspired by your video I have to type on my Kolibri :)
Thanks for your videos, you always make my day 🥰 please never stop making them!
Well, I think the 'sound' is all part of the love of manual typing. I would be able to type at night as my husband could sleep through anything but if he couldn't I'd buy him ear plugs ;- ).
As someone who shares a house, I tend to do all of my typing during the day. As for when I write, I do best from about 12pm - 5am (in my undergraduate years I did a lot of late night cramming due to procrastination). I tend to favor writing by hand during the daytime, and on the computer at night. Not sure why.
Great video as always.
I wish i could do late night typing. But here i am, 14, and each one i have is louder than the other. And at night it sounds like machine gunshots going off inside the house!
Ghosts under my bed really like the quiet typing sound. Great video Joe!
I do not need to do a comparison! Hands down my quietest typewriter is my underdog 1962(I think) Royalite ultraportable, the original curvy one. I believe a previous video you did with Kevin Kittle reviewed its precursor or it was branded differently. I searched but so far have not found that video. I don't know what makes it so quiet but I suspect it is an indication of its unsung quality of construction.
Thanks for this Joe, it was quite informative. I'm a morning writer, always have been, and for many years (not now) I would be up way before my spouse, writing, and it was with either an Olympia or an Underwood. I wrote in a basement office, and it didn't seem to bother my sleeping spouse. Today, thankfully, while I still write in the mornings from 8-11 a.m. (never in the evenings) I do so in an otherwise empty house, as my spouse heads out the door for essential work. My dogs sleep through my racket.
Joe....to be frank, have you ever suspected slight hearing or frequency loss in your right ear? Because to my ear, ALL of the machines were quieter than the Groma Kalibri, especially the Royal QDL. The Kalibri has a much higher metallic pitch than the others. Either that, or the microphone was slightly closer to the Kalibri than the others. I could be wrong !
Do you still have your Quiet-Riter? It would be interesting to compare it to QDL sound levels... I'm at my most creative early in the morning, but I'm not disciplined enough to take advantage of that time slot.
Joe, would you ever consider doing a video on your microphone collection and lighting collection that you use for youtube, and which are your favorites? Your lighting and audio are always ON POINT!
If you have done this already, I'm sure I'll find the video eventually. Keep up the great work!
Always interesting when you do these side-by-side comparisons. I was really surprised how well the later style Hermes 3000 you have performed, especially since plastic bodied machines tend to be noticeably louder than metal bodied machines. Makes me wonder how well one of my Rockets or my Featherweight would fare against your Groma in terms of loudness. I do tons of late-night typing, and I find myself using my wide carriage Hermes 3000 the most.
This was a great video! Personally, I'm limited to a 1959 Hermes Rocket and a Smith-Corona Merchant Corsair (not sure of the year by its serial number and looks nearly identical to your Cougar typewriter) as my full access. Hands down, the Hermes Rocket is quieter at night minus the bell not working on it currently. Every time I type on the Smith Corona Corsair, the other roommates start yelling at me for using it at night. I'm a night writer myself, so this has resulted in trying to find other ways to manage it. Repetitive motion injuries also cause a lot worse on a computer keyboard, rather than a typewriter. While I try to write with dictation when I can and am in the process of learning shorthand to help compensate, it's an ongoing challenge. I would love to be able to type late at night on a routine basis.
"mechanical typewriters can be rather loud at times."
And the ocean is only slightly damp...
My Hermes Baby/Rocket is the quietest and I use it at nigth. Thanks for testing. I wasn't aware of the Groma Kolibri.
Joe, do you still have your wonderful Underwood Portable from the 1930s? Is it still alive and well?:)
I have this kind of Underwood Portable and it's surprisingly quiet (though I don't have many typewriters to compare it with). I also have Underwood Noiseless Portable, on which I've been typing quite late at night with almost no problem (I mean it's not "noiseless", but it is still relatively quiet).
Yes, still have it, working fine. I didn't use it in the comparison because I don't see using that old of a machine for heavy creative writing. I wish I had time to compare every machine, however. Maybe a future video.
@@Joe_VanCleave It doesn't matter how old a typewriter is. Some of the best were made in the thirties and forties, and they made the noiseless up through the fifties. One in good shape will work beautifully.
I second the noiseless portable Underwood/Remington. I'm a night owl, my husband is not. He can't hear the typewriter outside of the close office door into our bedroom. IMO, Glossy paint of these portables is one of the most beautiful models.
My "Achilles Heel" exactly Joe! Unfortunately I live in an APARTMENT building and ALL of my neighbors WILL hear me if I type into the "wee hours". So? Just like any other "noise" I restrict myself to typing until 9PM! After that? I make notes with my pen and pad and begin typing once again from those the next day at 9AM, aka during "BUSINESS HOURS" only. On SATURDAYS after 12:00 Noon. NEVER on SUNDAYS!
What if you use a word processor typewriter and in the morning you can print it out in yhe morning, just a thought I had.
It's 07/18/22. Yesterday evening I have one of my 'stream of consciousness' times and generated around 20 pages of typing on my Smith-Corona Secretarial 300 electric, a true joy to use. Again, I think these little manuals are cute; I've owned two Hermes 3000s. But, I generated those pages, single spaced, in a little more than an hour. At least for me, no way to keep up with my thoughts on a small manual machine. For me, drooling time over my large number of typewriters is separate from when I made them work for their living!
This was really interesting, as I do a lot of typing late at night. I've been using mostly a Remington Deluxe model 5, but I'll soon have a Remington Noiseless model 7. Maybe I'll have to do a side by side between those two. :)
Well, thanks for that video. My most silent TW is my Quiet-Riter, made in the UK close to the end of that aera.followed by the Hermes 3000 curvey . But these are subjective impressions, and i think the tone or pitch makes ist.These snappy machines like Torpedo can annoy by the sound, not by the volume. And btw. Thrusttypemachines, the Adler Favorit are quite well in sound..just a low "tschunk tschunk"
Higher frequency sound will be more easily absorbed by walls and travel shorter distances than bass frequencies.
I thought the Olympic was quietest. All of mine are noisy, even the Remington noiseless. Since I have a word per day goal, it doesn't make too much difference when I write, because no one can hear me anyway. I'm at the other end of the house.
Both of mine are PORTABLES. MOM's older OLYMPIA and my "younger" ROYAL.
BOTH are superb machines though I do think my Mom's older, 1960's era, OLYMPIA has the edge in the "quieter" contest. Even with my ham fisted hands POUNDING down on its superbly balanced keys.
Once every 1-2 weeks I love staying up all night to do video editing. No one bothers me, and I can get slightly "un"focused enough to not question myself as I work.
Thought of a video idea for you Joe- if you haven't done so already, would you consider doing this challenge again, but to determine the LOUDEST typewriter in your collection? That would also be very entertaining!
The Lettera 32 is pretty quiet, I wonder how it would fare here
I pretty much only write at night!
I was really hoping that the Kolibri would beat out the thermal typewriter just to see the look of confusion on Joe's face.
Oh my goodness... I'll refrain from telling a storytime here, but let's just say I had a relative in the household during my childhood who would use typewriters into the wee hours of the night... on school nights!!! 🙄
I have one of these thermal typerwiter but my batteries last a few hours or so (and they don't sell rechargeable ones where I am, plus, the previous owner didn't had the power cable).
The most silent typewriter is the Winston-app:)
I just uploaded a very raw video of (well, sort of) comparing my Groma Modell N, Underwood Portable and Underwood Noiseless Portable typewriters (can be seen under my user name and videos section). I actually filmed this video about a year ago and now decided to upload it. Who knows, perhaps someone is interested:)
(p.s. here I commented as Silver, but my channel is under this name here)
Of course the GROMA was quieter! It originated in EAST GERMANY didn't it? EVERYONE had to be "quiet" (Or ELSE!!!) over there during that USSR imposed repressive regime!