This seemingly eternal question popped up during our recent type-in in Grand Rapids. Some members of the Typosphere can’t get enough of the H3K’s smooth, “butter-like” feel on the keys. Others dislike it intensely for the same reason, preferring snappier machines like the Olympias. I keep oscillating between the Hermes and the Olympia SM3 as favorite machines for extended writing sessions, with occasional excursions to the Smith Corona Skyriter, Olivetti Lettera 22, Royal Model O, and several others. It all seems to depend on the mood I’m in. What’s your favorite?
An early- and a late-model Hermes 3000 that came to the Grand Rapids type-in all the way from Ann Arbor. The curves and feel of the earlier version have more fans than the later design, although the innards are the same in both.
The Hermes 3000: Love It or Hate It?
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Michigan Typochondriacs 
Is the Triumph Perfekt an option? 😀
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Generally I find the older round body H3k a better typer than the square body ones. I’ve had plenty of both in my possession and across my workbench. The later ones just do not have that ‘feel’ to them. The square H3k just seems mushy. I think my Ambassador will out type anything I’ve ever used (barring a Seletric), but that is a giant sized office typewriter.
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I am very lukewarm on the Hermes 3000. I prefer my SM9 and 5-Series Smith Coronas. What some call buttery, I find “mushy”. If I were to spend more time with it I might come to appreciate the difference, but to me it it just doesn’t feel like I expect a typewriter to feel.
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My current favourite extended writing machines are the lettera 22 and corona silent 🙂
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