The Machines: Underwood Noiseless

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The Underwood #5 had become the industry standard for typewriters by the early 1930’s, leaving the other companies competing with each other for the remaining marketshare.  Underwood, not content to rest on their sccess, re-engineered the #5’s basic design.  The shortened the throw arm, and added a multi-hinge spring which reduced the snapback.  These innovations made for a quicker, smoother process, but it also reduced the noise, significantly.  They also enclosed the whole assembly, furthering noise reduction…the Underwood Noiseless line was born.

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1931 saw the introduction of the Noiseless Portable.  It was a clone of the Remington Noiseless Portable, and was even manufactured by Remington for Underwood.  At the time, Remington was able to make more money from a licensing deal with Underwood than from selling the same exact machine with a Remington name.

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By 1941, Underwood had moved on from the Noiseless Portable to the Champion, which became seen as the elite portable machine.

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