Smith-Corona Electra 120 typewriter w/case+fresh ribbon. Working beautifully.

Description

This portable typewriter from Smith-Corona dates to the middle 1960s and is in perfect working trim. It's as clean and corrosion-free an example of this typewriter as you could hope to find, and for the typist it is a pleasure to use. It comes to you with its original case and fitted with a fresh ribbon. (Note: the ribbon I used for these photos and the video is purple -- if you'd prefer either solid black or bicolor black/red, just let me know at the time of purchase.)
Here's a short clip of this machine in action:
Smith-Corona Electra 120 typewriter demo
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Having worked now with several of these machines from Smith-Corona, I am a fan. These first-generation mechanical/electric hybrids can win over even purists who think only a muscle-powered typewriter deserves space on the desk.
Robert Messenger of Australia, that luminary of the typewriter-loving world, waxes rhapsodic in his blog about his Smith-Corona 5TE, the direct predecessor of this Electra: "It's just such a beautiful machine to write with. Given that it combines the already wonderful typing action of the Silent-Super with an electrified keyboard, the lightness of its touch is hardly surprising. . . . I can’t resist inviting others to 'just have a type with it.' Invariably, those who jump at the invitation agree: what a fantastic typing machine!"
The Electra was Smith-Corona's premium electric typewriter in its day: it's a motorized version of what was then the company's premium manual machine, the Galaxie Deluxe. Inside, its working parts will be familiar to anyone who has explored inside a Smith-Corona manual typewriter. But the Electra's motor, tucked into the back corner of the machine, gives the typed impression a consistency on the page unachievable on a manual typewriter, whose every printed letter depends on the force of the typist's keystroke.
Because electric typewriters don't enjoy nearly the following among collectors that older manual machines do, few of the electrics offered on eBay have been gone through by enthusiasts like me; the vast majority are "as-found" -- perhaps working, perhaps not. This one came to me needing several hours of TLC. All body panels were stripped for a thorough cleaning. I installed a brand-new power cord and a pair of new drive belts (the old-electric-typewriter syndrome of vibration is caused by worn belts, and the new set eliminates this). The carriage release levers on Smith-Corona machines from this era can be counted on to crack and fail after 40 or 50 years; I've replaced them with brand-new levers crafted by a fellow hobbyist with whom I connected on Facebook's forum of vintage typewriter collectors and restorers.
Every function of this typewriter -- from line advance settings to margin stops and release, tab setting and clearing, carriage travel, caps & lowercase alignment, master trip, ribbon advance and reverse, the repeating keys and power spacing function, the back-spacer -- you name it, I've checked and rechecked it. If you like surprises, don't buy this typewriter. This is a reliable writing tool, ready for quick notes or heavy novelistic lifting.
I invite you to examine the specimen printed page -- this is what you need to see if you intend to use a typewriter. The type pitch on the sample sheet is elite, 12 characters to the inch, the smaller of the two most common type sizes. Ribbons for this machine are widely available and priced between and each on eBay; the new ribbon loaded into this typewriter will be good for several hundred pages.
The Electra has a control wheel beside the keyboard that adjusts the striking force of keys on the paper (back in the days before photocopiers, you'd turn up the impact when making carbons). A second wheel, under the machine's front lip, adjusts the sensitivity of the keyboard's action. The Electra has a 12-inch carriage, a full keyboard including the numeral 1 and the exclamation point; it has several repeating keys which continue to type when held down (the x, the dash, and the period). The power spacer beside the space bar moves quickly across the written page -- a particularly handy feature for filling out forms.
I have sold more than 200 refurbished typewriters here on eBay and invite you to review my seller feedback. I understand the importance of careful packing and will do my best to ensure that this machine reaches you safely. I welcome questions from buyers as they get comfortable with a new typewriter. And I wish you all the best in your typewriter hunting.