reply to u/No-Rain-4114 and tk at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ti2zu2/imperial_model_50_vs_royal_10_which_is_better/

You're likely to get more opinions than there are people who have actually used both and their opinions are going to vary wildly based on the conditions of the machines they've encountered. They're both solid machines, but generally also so old that you'd need two well-restored versions to get a serious apples to apples comparison. Even if you get 10 people with immaculate exemplars to weigh in, it's honestly not going to be helpful for determining which you ought to hunt for and purchase.

You're also going to find them with a very specific geographic distribution based on manufacturing and sales at the time. The Imperial bigger in the UK and Royal bigger in the US.

If you've got two to choose from, pick the one in the best condition and proceed from there. Otherwise choose based on aesthetics as all the other factors are so confounding as to mean little in making an informed choice here.

See also: https://boffosocko.com/2026/01/08/on-purchasing-typewriters-condition-is-king-context-is-queen/

Reply to u/Wooden-Lifeguard-636

Chris, which one do YOU prefer?

Like all serious typewriter collectors, I prefer both! 😜

Refurbished with a clean, oil, and adjust out of a typewriter repair shop, you really can't go wrong with either of these if this is the era and aesthetic you're after.

If OP gave us a ton of additional information on their context: Are they collecting? What sort of collection are they starting? Is this the one and only typewriter they're ever going to buy? Are they going to display it as decor? Use it (8 hours a day 365, once a day for a few hours, once a week, once a month)? Tinker on it to restore it themself? What's their budget? Where are they going to source it (shop, yard sale, estate sale, online auction untested)? Do they prefer the polished enamel or the crinkle paint? Are they a hunt-and-peck typist, a touch-typist, or even a speed champion? Etc., etc., etc.

With this, we might provide some semblance of advice, but honestly, even then, it's largely a coin toss. The ultimate choice will be biased and come down to the purchaser's gut reaction with a specific machine(s) in its condition in front of them to purchase.

And even then, after all this, it's worth considering the quote from Carroll Shelby in Ford v Ferrari (20th Century Fox, 2019) about the test driver at the end: "You drove it for less than an hour... ‘don’t know shit after an hour."