“Rare” is an epithet that’s frequently misused in online typewriter listings, especially when those typrwriters are electronic.

rare adjective (rarer, rarest) existing in small numbers and so of interest or value.

“Small numbers” in the context of  electronic devices might mean tens of thousands. So how can a mass-produced electronic device be “rare”?

The obvious answer seems to be that obsolete office and consumer electronics are more disposable than they are collectable or fixable. Hence they’re quicker to disappear.

The SQ-3250 and its non-display sibling SQ-1250 were released in 1991, prior to a change in company logo, from the Samsung namesake three-star design to the elliptical design we know today.

Sold in Europe under various brand names including the Brunsviga/Brunsviga MD (pictured below) and the Hanseatic Europa/Europa II, the Samsung SQ-1250 and SQ-3250 are essentially a revamp of two earlier models (SQ-1200, SQ-3200).

These first and second SQ-series models take the same non-cassette printwheel and the same proprietary ribbon cassette.

They also have an identical keyboard layout:

High quality dye-sublimated keycaps are also common between the two series.

The keyboard is indicative of a good internal build quality, as is a predominantly metallic (rather than predominantly plastic) print transport:

The ABS outer shell, however, is somewhat crudely put together. The movement of the plastic hinges on both the top cover and the ribbon cover of this particular typewriter are stiff, which means I find myself having to lower and raise those lids quite gingerly.

Rotating the platen knobs is similarly tight and this makes any attempt to adjust the line position imprecise if not impossible.

On the plus side, the power cord compartment on the rear of the machine is very spacious ..

And the snap on keyboard cover is flexible and easy to attach and remove (much like the keyboard cover on the Canon QS-300).

Canon QS “Quiet Sensation” series portables, of course, are much faster (14 cps) and much quieter than the SQ-3250, which is comparatively noisy and has (in the absence of a technical specification) what feels like a pedestrian print speed of 10 cps (max).

A non-visible typing line is this typewriter’s MAJOR DESIGN FLAW, but at least its very narrow LCD screen allows you to see the last few character typed.

The non-cassette printwheel looks similar to those used by Nakajima, but is in fact unique to Samsung:

And designed to engage with an unusual spring-mounted coupling:

It’s a crude but effective piece of engineering.

Compared with, say, the better designed drop-in cassette wheels provided by Brother, changing the printwheel is fiddly (the slot in the printwheel has to be manually aligned to the notch on the hub).

What further detracts from the usability of this typewriter is the non-availability of its consumables.

If these early (circa 1991) Samsung models are hard-to-find, then so are their ribbon cassettes and printwheels.

To summarise: The Samsung SQ-3250 has an excellent internal build quality and this is exemplified by the quality of its keyboard. However, a crudely put together ABS plastic outer shell lets it down.

In terms of its technical specification, the SQ-3250 appears to be function-rich (unfortunately  I don’t have the instruction guide that would tell me more about its memory and display capabilities).

This typewriter’s technical specification is compromised by its high noise emission and its lowly print speed. A scarcity of consumables, makes it collectable rather than usable. 6 out of 10 (Design =1, Build Quality =1.5, Technical Specification =1.5, Usability =1, Collectability =1)