Brother SX-4000 Electronic Typewriter

We still use a type writer at our work for occasional items. This one works well. A vast improvement from our old one.

This is really a poor quality machine. Every single time I take it out to use it, I have to run a test sheet through to make sure the ribbons are lined up - they get knocked out of place extremely easily. Can't tell you how many red-ink, scannable IRS forms I have ruined in the beginning when I kept forgetting to test it and the correction ribbon was out of place again. In general, the construction is pretty substandard. Definitely go with a Smith Corona instead. UPDATE: As has been mentioned in the comments, Smith Corona hasn't manufactured typewriters since 2005. Best I can tell, Brother is now the only company in the entire world selling typewriters. UPDATE: Used this typewriter for over two years now, and still a piece of junk. Luckily, I don't need it very often - pretty sure it would have fallen apart if used on even a weekly basis. Apparently, most of the reviewers here are happy with theirs, so it's possible I just got a lemon.

As a typewriter collector and mechanical keyboard freak, I also have a very small collection of electronic typewriters. I use these machines for writing short notes and short stories. Starting to use manual typewriters for some time, I got really tired of typing on these machines, so I went for electronic typewriters. However I wanted a fresh and new one, clean and shiny. They shipped this typewriter all the way to Holland, which is great service. And it arrived in one piece. They could have packed the tyepwriter though, and not just the box that came with the SX-4000. As soon I was putting it into the socket, it stopped working. Beware, if you plan to use it in Europe, buy a step down converter from 230v to 110v! I changed the fuse and bought the converter, and it started working. The keys on this Brother give a nice tactile feedback! Not mushy rubberdome-ish. Very satisfying, but not as great as IBM model M and Wheelwriter keyboard feel, I think. This machine is light and portable and nice grey colour, preventing from getting yellow over time. Also, the display is very handy, saves some ribbon. Like the fact that the brother ribbon cassette is widely used in this machine and older Brother entry,- and midlevel typewriters. The professional EM or CE models use a different cassette. Another thing, is the sound the sx-4000 makes. Sounds like a machinegun or Chinese firework-ish. Very nice, not too loud. I think this Brother is also very durable. If there still were brand new IBM wheelwriters for sale, I would get one of those. But second best, has to be Brother! They just have proven themselves in time with both manual and electronic typewriters! Goodluck and have fun!

I got this typewriter to fill out 3 page carbon copy forms and it does the job great. It was easy to setup and get started right away. Loading paper is easy and keyboard feels great to type on. There are many options to make typing easier. It is quick to setup left and right margins. The one issue I had, which I saw in previous reviews is the way it handles Capitol letters. There is no cap lock in the traditional sense and I can't figure out why. It has a shift lock key instead, this enables you to engage Capitol letters, but won't disengage, instead you have to hit the shift key below it. I don't feel comfortable typing in the traditional way because I had to keep taking my hands off the keyboard to disengage shift lock, otherwise I kept typing in Capitol letters. Fortunately feeling out the forms doesn't take long lines to fill out and I use another feature to prevent accidental Capitol letters. There is a mode that lets you preview each line before it is printed, while this slows things down a little it helps reduce the frustration of making mistakes and dealing with shift lock key. The only other issue I have is that there is now way to store margins settings, you have to set it up each time you turn the typewriter back on, fortunately this is quickly done. This typewriter does everything I want it to do, just wish there was a traditional cap. Lock key and able to store margins settings. When using the typewriter, I turn off spellcheck since I'm using a lot of medical terminology and it would just keep beeping. The correction tape works great, but again I don't use it with the preview line feature, but nice to know it's there. Also the handle is great to have since I will be taking this floor to floor at work. I'm still happy with the typewriter and amazed how fast I got it.

Keys all stick. Not usable. Waited too long to return because my account was messed up. Not functionally usable.

I love this typewriter! It does all of the basic functions as a writing program on a computer...minus italics, but I love it non the less! I hate writing on the computer and staring at a screen all day, making my eyes dry and itchy and a horribly red. With this, I can write just like I would on the computer without the strain, and I can see in real time what I'm writing without having to scroll through and try to find a place that I want to edit or change. I can just make notes right on the paper! The spell check is also pretty great for a typewriter, it may not tell you how to spell a word correctly, but it does beep at you to let you know there is a mistake. For me, this typewriter is a new best friend! Note: Though it states "portable" typewriter and it has a carrying handle, it is not very practical because it's bulky.

Works great. The keycaps are pretty yellowed but considering when the thing was made… My only issue is that the little metal guide what holds the paper against the roller was repaired poorly. Like… it disconnected from the single bit of what looked like gorilla glue used to pin it in place, and I had to repair it myself. Not a big deal, I can fix stuff, but maybe the people doing repairs will catch wind of this: use better adhesive; whatever was used here doesn’t adhere to metal well.

Great for use in filling out forms etc. Has a small window that shows what is being typed in case you want to make a correction. Saves on paper this way.

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