Since as far back as 2002, if not earlier, I have had a rather unusual fixation with fax machines. There exist plenty of people who are fixated with things like vacuum cleaners, escalators, elevators, but I have yet to find anyone else with a particular fascination for fax machines. In any event, my fascination with fax machines has recently led me to obtain a Brother IntelliFAX 950M - my family's first home fax machine.
For some background information, my father got a Brother IntelliFAX 950M in April 1994 and used it until around May 1997 when he changed careers. I might have been somewhat interested in the fax machine even back then (as well as my father's other work and office accessories - like his car phone and TeleVideo TS-1605 computer). Apparently, there was one time when my grandparents planned to surprise me by sending me a fax. Although it's possible that I had some interest in my father's fax machine in the mid '90s, I don't think that I developed a strong fixation with fax machines in general until late 2002 (although I could be mistaken).
It was between 2002 and 2003 that I got a lot of my own office accessories - including a desk and a filing cabinet, so it is not surprising that I would have an interest in fax machines around this time, too. Around this time, I even talked to my friend about getting a fax machine, and he said that I could find one on eBay for $30. He himself also apparently had a fax machine (at least at one time), but I don't think that he had a particular fixation with them as I did.
Despite my interest in fax machines almost certainly having been established in late 2002 (or early 2003), I would not get a fax machine of my own until December 2005: a Brother IntelliFAX 770 - purchased on eBay. Although this was a good-looking fax machine, it didn't work properly. In particular, I had trouble sending faxes or making copies. However, the IntelliFAX 770 did receive faxes and print documents properly. A few years later, two of my friends looked at the fax machine and found that a piece of plastic (meant for holding up a roller) had broken off inside. Although I can't say for sure, I don't think that I had a particular interest in collecting fax machines as of late 2005.
It wasn't until May 2011 that I purchased another fax machine at a thrift store. I don't recall the model, but the model that seems closest to what I remember is a Sharp CQ-130. This was a nice-looking machine, but it didn't appear to work. It also did not use plain paper like the IntelliFAX 770. I didn't have this fax machine for long because I got it while staying at my grandmother's house - then up for sale, and I left it behind upon returning home. Several months later, I returned to the house, and it was not present (the machine was probably among many other things that had been removed from the house in order to increase its marketability).
Interestingly enough, I had actually purchased a third fax machine in July 2011 at another thrift store. This was a Brother IntelliFAX 1270, and unlike the IntelliFAX 770, it appeared to work properly.
It was probably between 2011 and 2012 that I started paying particular attention to the IntelliFAX 950M that my father used to have. I found a few pictures of it online, but it seemed that model had become hard to find.
In September 2012, I found a Brother IntelliFAX 750, which was an interesting model because it looked just like the IntelliFAX 770 - but was black in color. I considered getting it but ultimately did not. I now wish that I had done so.
In March 2013, I took a number of old electronics to be recycled, and among them was the Brother IntelliFAX 770 - my first personal fax machine. I probably felt that I didn't need it since I had the IntelliFAX 1270, which was a similar-looking model that also worked properly. I think that I have sometimes regretted getting rid of the IntelliFAX 770.
Over the past few weeks, I have again become fixated on fax machines, and as a result, I learned that a Brother IntelliFAX 950M was actually for sale on eBay! That particular model seemed impossible to find anywhere else, so following in the spirit of 2012 and 2013 (recreating my childhood by getting a TeleVideo TS-803 and a TeleVideo TS-1605), I purchased the IntelliFAX 950M. Like with the TeleVideos, I figured that this could be my only chance at obtaining the same fax from my childhood. There also seem to be so few pictures of it online and so little documentation of it that I thought that it would be good to obtain.
After many years, there is again a Brother IntelliFAX 950M in my home. It is not necessarily in my favorite style of fax machine (like the IntelliFAX 1270), but it is still a fairly nice-looking machine, and I like its gray color. It also probably helped spark my interest in fax machines, so I figured that it would be nice to have just for that sake. Below are some pictures of the fax.
Something useful about getting documentation with the IntelliFAX 950M is that I learned of other models that likely were sold in the '90s - including the IntelliFAX 610, IntelliFAX 620, IntelliFAX 640, IntelliFAX 710M, IntelliFAX 720M, IntelliFAX 810MC, IntelliFAX 820MC, IntelliFAX 900, IntelliFAX 980M (I already knew of this one), and IntelliFAX 1500M.
Finally, here are some pictures of the IntelliFAX 950M with my IntelliFAX 1270 - as well as one of my HP laptops with a fake faxing program using Cool Retro Term in Ubuntu.
It is very nice to again have a Brother IntelliFAX 950M.
