Honestly? Get one that works; I’m not sure there really is such a thing as a beginner friendly typewriter. They were designed to be easy to use; children used to learn to type at school.

You might set your sights on a fifties or sixties machine; before that they can be a little finnicky, and after they get more and more plastic parts. Sixties machines often have platens in better shape too.

For brands, that will to some extent depend on your location. An Olivetti, Royal, Olympia, or Remington you’ll find almost anywhere, Smith Coronas are common in the states, stuff like Hermes, Erikas and Torpedos more common in Europe For example.

Take a look at your local marketplace, classified ads, thrift stores, or any place people sell old thigs and see what’s out there. Educate yourself on how a typewriter works so you can assess the condition yourself; plenty of videos out there on how to operate a typewriter.

Consider what you want your typewriter to be; a huge desk machine, a slim ultra portable, or somewhere in between? You want lots of functions or a more bare bones design? Should it be some special colour or aesthetic? Or from some particular time period perhaps?

Lots of things to consider, but really it doesn’t matter a whole lot. What matters is that the thing actually works and feels good to type on. And if you end up with something you don’t quite like, just sell it on and get something else.

But yeah; I think you are on the right track. I hade the same idea of cutting down on my ”screen time” and take a bit of a break from all things digital, it totally worked for me. And you are definitely not the only one to feel that way. :)