News — Wheelwriter RSS

If you own an IBM Wheelwriter or are thinking of purchasing one, here are some handy tips on keeping your typewriter in tip top shape. Change the batteries once per year.  Most IBM Wheelwriters have a battery pack (that is viewable by raising the lid and looking down inside the typewriter).  Since they're out of sight, it's easy to forget that those batteries need to be changed regularly.  Batteries that stay in the machine too long can leak and cause significant damage to the typewriter. Keep foreign objects out of the typewriter.  Stray paper clips, staples, binder clips, thumb tacks, and other metal objects can cause shorts in the circuit boards.  Try to inspect the machine at least weekly to...

I’ll admit it, I used to turn up my nose at the IBM (and later, Lexmark) Wheelwriter typewriter.  After all, it was electronic and being I prefer manual or electric (mechanical with a motor) typewriters, the Wheelwriter never really appealed to me.  Unlike the IBM Selectric, it didn’t have a pleasing design.  It lacked all sex appeal.  Even the color was bland and uninteresting.  And then there's that plastic case. All those things still ring true but the IBM Wheelwriter really shines in functionality.  To be completely transparent, when I have a lot of typing to do, I reach for the Wheelwriter more often than not.  Why?  Because it’s a solid workhorse of a typewriter that can handle anything I...