TO:	Reuven Nisser, Reuven_Nisser
FROM:	rnelson@gil.com.au
DATE:	18/10/97, 00:12 

Re: Mountbatten Brailler

Firstly, it is very noisy.  The only way I can explain that is that each 
character printed sounds like someone hitting a telephone book quite hard 
with a hammer.
Secondly, bear in mind that the Mountbatten is very much like an 
electrified Perkins (see my comment below).  It embosses one character at 
a time rather than a row of dots  with each pass of the printing head 
(like most other embossers).  I could not give you the manufacturer's 
quoted speed but I would guess about 2 or 3 characters per second.

Third, you have to be very careful about the paper feed mechanism.  
Unlike a Perkins which can tolerate a slight skewing of the paper, the 
M.B. can jam and care has to be taken in removing the paper to avoid 
damage to the paper feed.

Fourth,  the Mountbatten is meant to be used as a stand alone brailler.  
This means that it has a "local" mode where you can braille using the 
M.B.'s keyboard.  It has a very basic way of entering and editing text.  
It's probably not as good as the Braille & Speak but it allows you to 
create short documents and print multiple copies.  They may have improved 
the local mode commands in the last couple of years.  I have not used the 
current model.

Bear in mind also that if you buy an M.B. and it deveops a serious fault, 
it will probably have to be returned to the factory for repair.

I do not know what your requirements are but, unless you are decided on 
having a machine which you can use as an electric brailler, I would 
suggest that you would probably get better value for your money from one 
of the less expensive braille embossers.  For example, you should 
serously consider the Enabling Technology Romeo (Model RB-25) or the 
Thiel Porta-Thiel.  Depending on where you source them, I think you will 
find that they are about the same price as the M.B.  

If you have a copy of Blazie Engineering's Catalogue, you will find 
details of the Romeo in there.  

I think that about exhausts the help I can give you on the subject ...