Erika 11 out of 10

Following on from my post on the Groma Modell N, another East German typewriter with a similarly industrial colour scheme …

… a typewriter I originally thought was an Erika 9. Luckily, I happened to notice the model number on the underside of the ribbon cover …

… equally noticeable is the serial number stamped on the underside of the frame …

The Erika 11 is less stylish perhaps than the Groma Modell N, but what it lacks in style it more than makes up for in usability.

While trying out both typewriters, I found the beautifully compact Erika to be snappier and more finger friendly. Also, the low-slung carriage return lever on the Groma is easier to miss with your finger than the more upright lever on the Erika.

Not much between the two of them typeface-wise, both are blessed with a very readable Pica …

The space bar is less clunky on the Erika too. Another plus the Erika has is the fact that its type bars fall back softly onto fabric webbing, which is an inspired choice of material I think, since it has stood the test of time very well.

A pair of East German models

As and when I downsize my typewriter collection, this lovely little Erika will be one of the typewriters I keep. I’m afraid I can’t say the same thing about the Groma Modell N.

(Incidentally, Nick T has documented the history of these post-war Erika typewriters on his Xoverit blog site.)

 Two West German typewriters to go in my German typewriter series …