HP 10bII Financial Calculator by Hewlett Packard
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Digital camera reviews of HP 10bII Financial Calculator
Digital camera Review: A great essential financial calculator
Summary: 5 Stars
This calculator is an essential tool for modern life. Anyone who is running a business, looking to refinance their house, take out an auto loan etc. should purchase this calculator and study the manual to understand the basics of financial calculations. These calculations can be handled far swifter than using Excel.Digital camera Review: A necessary tool at a fair price
Summary: 5 Stars
The 10bII is an excellent financial calculator at a great price. While it falls shy of the HP 12c Financial Calculator (12C#ABA) with regard to its ability to tackle some of the more complex calculations, for many it will probably never be used to its fullest extent. That is, one would probably be aware whether they needed to opt for the pricier and more powerful HP 12c before they began shopping; which is not to say that the 10bII could not be outgrown. The main selling points for the 10bII might be that, compared to calculators that compete on a basis of functionality and price, it is simply superior in terms of capability, ease of use, and craftsmanship.
Included with the 10bII is an extremely thorough and intelligible user's guide, a slip case, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the "CPT" button is nonexistent. Yes, amazingly, this calculator is that intuitive. The 10bII is also approved for use during the CFP exam.
Digital camera Review: A solid basic financial calculator.
Summary: 4 Stars
It works and it's easy to use. That's what you need to know.
Honestly though, if I had it to do over again, I might go with the TI BA II, only because it has the sliding hard case which offers some protection as this things sits at the bottom of my knapsack.
Digital camera Review: Adequate, even good, but certainly not the best ever.
Summary: 4 Stars
To be certain, this is a good calculator, and it is a decent value at this price, but not even HP would say it's the best ever.I'd much rather be purchasing the HP 17BII - with it's expanded functions, but this will certainly do 95% or more of the financial functions I need it to do. The 17BII has some added features which admittedly are not requirements (Date, Time, Appointment) but I do strongly prefer the menu options on the 17BII and the programming function.
To address a couple concerns mentioned here:
1. Yes, the calculator will round .275 to .28 -- if you have it set to display only two digits right of the decimal. That's what it should do. You can, however, easily set the display to three digits or whatever degree of significant digits you wish.
2. I have checked interest rate calculations and all I ahve done work out fine. Perhaps the problem mentioned here has been addressed.
The 12C is a better, more capable calculator. But the 12C also requires one to learn RPN. Many people prefer not to use RPN. On the 10BII you can set it to work with "standard" data entry or RPN -- your choice.
The 19BII is also a better calculator, but it's large with a fold-out keypad (it opens like a book, standard looking calculator on the right, alphabetical keys on the left). It was also more expensive - close to $150 many years ago when I got one. Again, this is far more than people really need, which is probably why you can't find it on the HP website any longer.
Unfortunately, I can't find the 17BII on the HP website either. It appears that both the HP 17BII and the 19BII have been discontinued. I really found the 17BII to be the best in function and price combination.
As for quality, I think the reviews here are right. My old HPs are still going strong, but one 17BII I bought a year ago seemed light and less sturdy. Sure enough, it died recently, which is why I conducted a search for a replacement. (There are some refurbished ones availableso, but even that great calculator isn't worth that price.
So I've reluctantly purchased the 10BII. It feels light and cheap, but we'll see how it holds up. It uses two wafer-thin 1025 batteries v. three button batteries of the 17BII, so I'll change more frequently.
In summary, this is a strong, capable calculator, and probably one of your best bets at this point. It will almost certainly perform what you need it to do. Read the very user friendly instruction guide if in doubt. However, there are better options out there that can do even more if you're willing to learn a more complicated system (12C) or are fortunate enough to find the 17BII and pay the higher price.
Good luck.
Digital camera Review: Avoid My Mistake-- Low Quality Comments are True!
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased the HP10BII calculator for my wife in May 2003, thinking that she would enjoy the same HP quality I have enjoyed for years with my calculators. I read the Amazon reviews, but did not want to believe the reports of low quality that others had submitted-- naively I thought that HP might have corrected the problem by now. Mistake! My wife used the calculator for less than TWO DAYS before the display stopped working-- first a partial failure and then a total failure of the display. She's using the TI BAII Plus now, with no issues to date. Why take a chance? I recommend that you save yourself the disappointment and time and select something other than this calculator.