Superb Classic Calculator

I bought this calculator 2 years ago (haven't had to change the battery yet!) and use it from time to time to cross-check calculations I make on the spreadsheet. You can calculate many every day things with it: your mortgage payments, percentage profit/loss on investments, etc. It also has a good set of statistical functions.

I once had an Independent Financial Adviser visit me and he decided to borrow my calculator to figure out my pension contributions. He got stuck: there's no"=" key! It has RPN (Reverse Polish Notation) as standard but you can set it to Algebraic if you want to (I haven't used it much in Algebraic though).

The programming feature is awesome, and well worth the time you invest in learning it. Overall, this calculator has a steep learning curve, but it comes with an excellent user manual that helps in the learning process. Also, there are a few good books available if you want to get to grips with all its functionality.

To conclude, this is a classic calculator that will one day become a collector's item.

A modern classic

This is simply a great calculator - well worth the five stars and very good value for money. I have no doubt this calculator will be a modern classic and a big sales succes for HP: many serious calculator users have been waiting for this little machine.

The HP 35S can be used as an RPN calculator, which is a simple and intuitive input method traditionally used by HP. RPN is superior when compared to the awkward and error-prone input method used on most modern calculators - if you want, you can use this standard input method as well (a concession to the sales department at HP) It has many, many functions, many of which are useful and most of which are easy to access. Especially the"solve" function is much more useful than I ever anticipated: it can numerically solve a complicated equation without the need for rearranging the equation; this is a feature that I didn't know I needed until I bought the machine! The calculator is fully programmable: great fun and very powerful - but something I have had little use for upto now. The memory is quite big: plenty to keep all my useful equations in memory.

The build quality is good. The calculator is robust and has an old-fashioned, solid feel to it. The hard case is very useful: the calculator can be used without taking it out of the case. The beautiful design is both pleasing and ergonomic. The user guide is comprehensive as you would expect (and hope) for such a powerful calculator with additional material available on the HP site.

In short: the HP 35S is powerful, easy to use, sturdy, and good-looking - look no further for a serious scientific calculator.

Great Product..Absolutely Abysmal Documentation

I bought the HP50g back in March 2007, and I have delayed writing my review until now in order to provide a more considered and balanced review.

It was back in 1973 that I bought my first HP calculator, a HP35, and years later a HP41CX, both of these machines were RPN enabled only, and they were great machines. The documentation supplied with both were absolutely superb, the manuals well printed on high quality paper, and in a spiral bound lay-flat format.

The build quality of both machines were first class, both benefiting from a beautifully designed and tactile keyboard that provided superb keystroke entry feedback.

That was HP of yesteryear, unfortunately the HP50g is a recent product of the"modern HP" and frankly in terms of build and documentation quality the HP50g is not on the same page as the HP35 or HP41CX... WAIT..!! its not even in the same book!!!

The issue is not that the calculator is built in China, after all the Chinese can build first class products, its a reflection just how far HP have let their standards slip in terms of design imperatives, and quality control standards.

As it stands, the HP50G IS UNUSABLE OUT OF THE BOX OWING TO THE TRULY ABSYMAL DOCUMENTATION SUPPLIED.

Many math functions are not adequately identified or explained. The HP50g's programing capability is not explained at all. The user has to research the net for advanced user documentation, and that is found only for the HP49+, the information being applicable to the HP50g.

In closing, I am happy with the performance of the HP50g, but Iv'e really had to hang in there and research and adapt available user data in order to effectively use the calculator.

I would not recommend the HP50g to a student, or anyone that is not willing to dedicate time and effort to research appropriate applications data.

A true classic

This has to be greatest ever calculator. I'm still using the one I was given in 1986, and it works perfectly.

The reverse polish notation takes a few minutes to learn, but makes the machine much more powerful (it also stops people asking to borrow it).