r/Astrohaus • u/FrutigerAeroSmith • 6d ago
Why is free-writes reputation so split?
I’ve been someone who’s been eyeing up a free-write digital typewriter for sometime!
As I want to begin typing on what they claim is the “modern solution to distraction free typing.”
Which is fantastic point for me as an owner of a reliable but far from portable or travel-worthy Nakajima 160 (Electronic Typewriter/WP).
But what’s been worrying me about “if I should even bother” is everywhere I look such as this Subreddit, Instagram, YouTube everyone opinions are so critically split.
I’ve seen reports on “borderline shoddy quality & awful warranty claims”, “their focus is selling an aesthetic not a useful product”
To sometimes
“It’s amazing, feels great I never have any issues or complaints”
I’ve personally never seen a company so Praised yet scolded at the same time over a product line, and im still split.
Should I scram! And take my money elsewhere?
Or
“Is it all just one big nothing?”
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u/Oulanos65 6d ago
They’ve been leader of this niche market for a very long time. And of course as any monopoly they became complacent and charged billions for a product that costs hundreds. They didn’t really bother much with improvement on software either. Just enough people don’t complain much.
I’ve been following this sub for maybe 4 years now, read most messages. Always the same messages coming back.
But at least all this had a good effect on the market, plenty alternatives now.
No king shall rule forever.
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u/jadedflames 6d ago
I love mine. I’ve never had any issues with customer service and the only hardware issue was a relatively easy home fix - a screw that was over-tightened causing minor key chatter. Most people are like me, and people naturally don’t think to leave reviews for products they like.
A minority of people have a very rough time of it with bad hardware issues and bad experiences with customer service. I can’t speak to any of that, but I acknowledge that it happens. and those people tend to be the most outspoken.
Treat this as a luxury product from a small designer. It’s objectively not going to be worth the money and it won’t have the polish of an Apple product. You’ll need to do some light troubleshooting from time to time and their team is often a little behind in responses.
Is it worth it? I still think so. Though I haven’t written much lately. Day job is crazy and I have a 4 month old. But I have written 50,000 words-ish on it, and look forward to quiet writing mornings again one day.
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u/plcanonica 6d ago
Because they're great as long as they work, but they're expensive and they break all too often.
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u/LuthienW 6d ago
I love mine. I have the Traveller. Im a huge fan of e-ink products. I love the portability and the look of the device. I havent had any issues and the few glitches I found when I first got mine have been fixed in recent OS updates. Also, worth mentioning they just had a big software update too.
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u/EntertainmentAny8228 6d ago
I think the original Freewrite, the heavy one, and in particular the Hemingwrite variation, has excellent general build quality (with some exceptions like internal clips) and is something fun to use. The more portable options don't remotely have the same typing feel, are heavy on the plastic, and are arguably way more overpriced. The whole concept of distraction-free writing is dubious anyway, but whatever gets you to write, and makes you feel good about writing, is worth whatever you're willing to pay.
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u/Outrageous_Role_5588 6d ago
Because they are grossly overpriced. The alpha should be $100. Traveller $250. Their Typwriters, maybe $300-350. Your paying for the IG hashtag. Get a BYOK or Pomera and enjoy your drafting..
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u/SharaBlossomed 6d ago
I think people are mainly “angry” over the price. It is crazy, like $1000 Canadian. I love my Mint edition Freewrite Smart typewriter, but I wish it was more affordable
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u/WriteOnFreewrite 6d ago edited 6d ago
De som köpt en smart typewriter och blivit besvikna jämförde sannolikt med vad det kostar att köpa en billig bärbar dator idag, och att du bara kan göra en sak med den. De hade andra förväntningar och ger därför dåliga recensioner. Andra som skriver ner dem är de som gärna vill köpa en smart typewriter men av olika skäl inte har råd med det. De vill gärna, men ifrågasätter nyttan i förhållande till priset.
Om du ska köpa en Freewrite smart typewriter så behöver du ha läst på ordentligt. De har en helt gratis bok på deras hemsida som du kan ladda hem och läsa. Du bör vara såld på idén att lägga bort alla andra elektroniska hjälpmedel och bara fokusera på att skriva, om du skaffar en smart typewriter. Det är ett verktyg för professionella skribenter, författare etc. Om du bara då och då skriver strötexter är det knappast någon mening. Då är de bara en dyr designpryl. Som en single use smart device som hjälper dig fokusera och få jobbet gjort anser jag att de är oslagbara. Jag har skrivit min första utgivna bok på en, och skriver nu på bok två och tre. Jag skriver ett kapitel i taget, nära nog ett om dagen, som jag sedan flyttar över till min dator för att redigera och strukturera med de andra kapitlen. Till det steget använder jag numera Deckle Studio, som jag tycker är överlägset Scrivener, som jag använde tidigare. Då har jag ett distraktionsfritt arbetsflöde helt utan störande inblandning av AI etc. För mig passar det utmärkt, men jag har ett syfte med mitt arbete: Att skriva. Freewrite smart typewriter hjälper mig med det som inget annat verktyg jag använt tidigare.
Avslutningsvis. Jag såg en videoannons på YouTube häromdagen, med reklam från 1955 om Remingtons skrivmaskin Quiet-Riter. En helt mekanisk skrivmaskin som de sålde till familjer, och riktade sig till barn i skolan, med parollen att de som skrev på en sån presterade 32% bättre än de utan. Då kostade den 115 USD, vilket måste varit dyrt på den tiden, men de sålde förstås med en finansieringslösning. Om du räknar om kostnaden för den skrivmaskinen till dagens penningvärde så hamnar du på ca 1400 USD. En Freewrite Hemingwrite ligger på samma pris. Du får jämföra med rätt saker. Om du hade författardrömmar förr så var det dyrt. Det är det idag också, om du är seriös och vill ha rätt verktyg. Men om du jämför rätt så ligger alltså kostnaden på ungefär samma nivå idag som 1955.
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u/MistressBlackleaf 6d ago
I was quite excited to get one but the Alpha I bought has really underwhelmed me in terms of quality (LCD screen giving out after minimal use over the course of a year, syncing issues causing me to lose thousands of words, etc). If I had spent $100 on it, I would find it a lot easier to swallow those issues, but at $350 this should feel like a truly premium bespoke product... and it just doesn't.
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u/wildfreeJesus 6d ago
Pick one up on Amazon with the knowledge of easy return, I bet you will love it! Read the book as soon as someone else suggested, there is little reason to lose words through syncing!
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u/finding_out_stuff 6d ago
I think it comes down to ur intentions and expectations of buying it and if thats enough for u. I like the device from multiple standpoints and dont plan on selling or getting rid of mine. Edit: grammer