Erika 20: the perfect typewriter?

"The Ideal Solution"

According to the information on The Typewriter Database, the Erika 20 was made from September 1960 to February 1962.

Model 20
4000201	1960			Production begins 9/1960	25
4000478	1961			1961-1962 numbers run 4000478 to 4014887	25
	1962			See 1961. Model 20 ended 2/1962	25

The three specimens pictured on the database so far are all in Russia and have Cyrillic keyboards. As Nick observes, it seems that many of the approximately 15,000 typewriters made were sent to the USSR, where I imagine they ended up in the hands of privileged Party members. However, some are also found with German keyboards. My Humber 99, which came to me from Toronto collector Martin Howard, is the only one I've seen so far with a QWERTY keyboard. Its serial number is 4011057.

But is this the oh-so-elusive "perfect typewriter"?

I can tell you that it's snappy, comfortable, quick, quiet, and refined. It has many, many features that I enjoy. And it looks great. It may not be perfect, but it has shot into the top 2% of the typewriters I own.

But let's not make this all about my preferences; let's test the proposition as objectively as we can by comparing this typewriter to the preferences that readers of this blog expressed in the "perfect typewriter" poll of April 2014. I've added a red check mark to indicate the features of the Erika 20 / Humber 99.

The Humber 99 is quite large and heavy (in the same class as an Olivetti Studio 44), but it is "luggable" at nearly 12 kg / 26 lbs. with its case (weight according to Sergei Viktorovich). To give you an idea of the size, here it is next to the rather hefty Erika 10:

The Humber 99 uses typebars, with the typical Erika device of a return spring attached to the bottom of each typebar.

This was a major innovation in this model, as previous Erikas were all carriage-shifted. (The M has a skeleton shift, that is, only the central part of the carriage is shifted.) The basket shift on the Humber 99 is easy and quick, and its tension can also be adjusted by turning a couple of screws.

The typeface on this machine is very straightforward and traditional. I personally would prefer something a bit more distinctive. (See my typecast at the start of this post for an example.)

The size is actually a hair bigger than pica.

The Humber 99 uses a "Visomatic" system. That term is actually an R.C. Allen trademark, which I'm using to mean automatic margins that also have visible indicators. Not many typewriters have this feature. (The Hermes 3000 has something comparable, a red ribbon inside the paper bail that shows the position of the margins.) On the Humber 99, the automatic margins are set by buttons on the side of the carriage, and small chromed indicators show above the carriage. I like this system.

Not many respondents felt they needed quadruple line spacing, but it doesn't hurt. On the Humber 99, the spacing is adjusted by a wheel that can be turned in either direction, and is indicated by dice-like dots.

The buttons to the left of the keyboard set and clear tab stops very efficiently. To the right of the buttons you can see the ribbon position selection lever, and to its right is a combination margin release and typebar detangler key. The ribbon position indicator window shows a mix of blue and red, i.e., an intermediate position in the center of the ribbon. To the right of the window is a button for releasing the ribbon cover.

Here are some more features people wanted to see on a typewriter:

The space bar quickly and quietly moves half a space forward when you push it down, and another half when you release it. The platen can easily be removed, thanks to a system that allows you to unscrew the platen knobs.

Although there is no end-of-paper indicator per se, you can extend the nice, wide paper support to a position that will tell you when the end of the paper is coming up.

The two buttons shown below let you switch from normal to  e x t e n d e d  typing (i.e. double character spacing). The right-pointing arrow is the backspacer, and the left-pointing arrow is the tabulator. (Obviously, they indicate the direction of motion of the carriage. This is not intuitive for me, but you can get used to it.)

To remove the carriage, you push the small levers on left and right at the base of the typewriter.

This machine also has features that it didn't occur to me to include in my poll. First, there's a device for adjusting the tabulator brake. If you turn the metal knob toward the + sign, the carriage will move faster.



On the end of the carriage, to the right of the platen knob, is the carriage release lever (the plastic cover for it is missing on the left end of my machine), and to the right of that is the button for the automatic margin.

Another nice feature is the ability to remove the ribbon cover by pinching two little levers and lifting it off. This is also found on the Erika 10.




Now for some control diagrams and some parting pics.

The perfect typewriter? Perfect for whom? For you? 

There's only one way to tell ... I know some readers are going to start looking for one of these right now. Happy hunting!