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There are thousands of Underwood No 5's out there… but there aren't many in as good shape as this was when I received it. Special thanks goes out to the one who donated it.
Despite the well maintained condition, I've spent ours crawling through this machine--readjusting every single component so that it works as well as the day it was manufactured, in 1921.
The Underwood 5 has a special steampunk look to it--more so than other antique typewriters. Probably because of the openness of everything. There are very few covers hiding the internal workings. And the sound of an Underwood 5 is to die for. A loud CLACK at every stroke, the Underwood 5 is about as nostalgic as you could get. If you want the look, feel, and sound of 'old timey', this typewriter will do it for you.
Now as for the durability… the Underwood 5 was always a well-built machine. They were made to last. The reason most of them have melted rollers, knobs, and feet is because they were, at some point, stored in an area with no climate control. The garage, and attic, a storage building. Sitting for more than a year in any one of these will destroy those parts (which is why I was so delighted to see these in such good shape).
In terms of useability, the Underwood 5 came about BEFORE some of the game changers--like easy tab set and clear, margin release, and even before the hold-down bar for paper (notice the little roller that flips out to hold the paper down as you type). So admittedly, this model is slightly harder to actually work with. It's much worse if those mentioned parts have melted slightly, so this particular specimen is a jewel.
As mentioned above, the key letters have been replaced, and it wasn't quite a perfect job. It looks like there might have been some parts used from other machines in this process, and some of the bronze shells are slightly different from each other.
Other than that, this is a perfect machine for any collector, and I can guarantee that EVERY function is in full working order.
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