HP 33S Scientific Calculator (F2216A) by Hewlett Packard
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Digital camera reviews of HP 33S Scientific Calculator (F2216A)
Digital camera Review: Best scientific calculator available
Summary: 4 Stars
I have owned the 33s for two months and during this time I have become familiar with most of its capabilities. I am a physicist and I use my hp 33s almost on a daily basis.
This calculator goes unrivaled as far as its functionality. The fact that it offers the ability to perform key-stroke programming (with features like looping and branching) alone places it a step above any other scientific calculator available in the market today, with the exception of the (much bulkier and more expensive) graphic calculators.
The formula solver is very powerful and easy to use. The unit conversions are easy to access and the machine can perform complex arithmetic and trigonometry (i.e. functions like sin, cos, etc. have a mode to operate on complex numbers). I also like the physical constants menu which is perhaps one of the most complete I have seen in any calculator.
The overall "retro" look of the machine is great and offers, IMO, a nice departure from the boring, brick-like, HP's of the 70's, 80's and 90's (with the exception of the 11c, 12c, and 15c) and from other brands.
The RPN entry logic takes a little practice to get used to, but is well worth the initial effort. The build quality is good, but not excellent (hence the 4 stars). I do not know how durable the 33s is, but it feels a little bit too fragile, mainly because it is very light. My biggest complaint about the build quailty, though is that my 33s does not stand completely flat on a table. Also I would have liked the machine to be a little smaller.
Overall, I highly recommend the 33s to anyone looking for a powerful and versatile scientific calculator.
Digital camera Review: Best scientific calculator available
Summary: 4 Stars
As a bit of background, I'm an engineering college professor. As an educator, I'm tempted to ONLY allow this calculator in my engineering classes. It does what a calculator is supposed to do: it's a tool that lets you solve complex functions with programmability to do numerical operations. It also teaches the operator programming skills (which translate directly to programming microcomputers), computer functions, such as a stack, and how to solve multi-step problems using your own numerical solution.
This calculator does NOT do what a calculator isn't supposed to do: it's not a crutch that lets you be math illiterate. The trend today towards graphical calculators is an example of the latter. These let you type in an equation using a text editor and then press 'solve' - demonstrating no knowledge at all and leaving students unprepared in how to design and build tomorrows calculators (and other computer-based systems).
I only give it 4 stars since it isn't quite up to the HP42S calculator's standards. At 20% of the cost (and still in production), it's a good alternative.
Digital camera Review: Best scientific calculator made today (with caveats)
Summary: 4 Stars
There has long been a real need for a high-quality scientific calculator for serious scientific and engineering professional, so I was glad to see HP back in the market with the HP-33S, a replacement for their popular HP-32SII (of which I own three!). With some caveats (see below), I've found this to be a very good scientific calculator, and probably the best one being manufactured today. I guess HP finally noticed that people are willing to pay over $300 for a used HP-32SII, and took the hint.
First, some general comments. I judged the overall quality of the calculator to be quite good. The keys have a good solid feel, like traditional HP calculators. It has about 80 times the memory of the HP-32SII, and I found it to run about 2.5 times faster. The manual is excellent -- clear and very well written, and similar to the HP-32SII manual.
The HP-33S has a few new features that weren't on the HP-32SII:
- Both RPN and algebraic entry modes. (The default is RPN.) I use RPN exclusively myself.
- Several new functions: cube, cube root, integer divide, remainder, greatest integer, and signum.
- A menu with 40 built-in physical constants (speed of light, electron charge, etc.). This is a great feature; I was constantly having to look up physical constants and store them in registers; now the constants are built in.
- A feature to shift the exponent of a number in engineering mode by factors of 1000.
- Four-way cursor keys (as you would find on a PDA or graphing calculator).
- Two-line display (to show both the X and Y registers).
The HP-33S does have a couple of drawbacks:
- Most importantly, as others have noted, the decimal point (and comma) are WAY too small. The decimal point can be difficult to see, especially when it comes after a digit 2.
- The rather bizarre V-shaped keyboard is a bit strange, but not really a problem. It just tends to give the keyboard a bit of a cluttered look. I'd rather see a traditional HP rectangular layout with blue and gold function keys on a dark background.
If you are a science or engineering professional or serious student, I would recommend this calculator as the best one being made today. Hopefully HP will come out with an HP-33SII that corrects the design problems -- then they'll have a five-star calculator.
Digital camera Review: Best scientific calculator on the market
Summary: 5 Stars
I teach math at a community college, and use this calculator for most of my daily calculations. I own 2 33s and a hp 50g. I have recently bought the 35s. I haven't had a chance to spend much time with the 35s, but my initial impression is a positive one. I like the fact that one does not have to use shift for the following operations -- e^x, x^2, and the (nth root of x). On the 35s one has to use shift to access these, thus adding extra key strokes. I love the side grips made of rubber. This helps me hold on to the unit while in class. The 35s does not have these. It will take me some time to decide to lay down my trusty 33s for the 35s. I love both calculators, but I'm use to the 33s. If you buy the 33s or the 35s you will not be disappointed. RPN is my preferred method for doing calculations. Hope this helps.Digital camera Review: Best value for NCEES exams
Summary: 5 Stars
The HP 33s is one of the few calculators approved for use on the NCEES tests, including the LSIT and the EIT. It is programmable, and has the built in "solve" feature which solves for multiple variables within an equation. Reverse Polish Notation allows the user to input complex formulas with ease. They are cheap enough to own two just in case of failure during the test.