HP 33S Scientific Calculator (F2216A) | The best calculator ever for day to day engineering.

HP 33S Scientific Calculator (F2216A) | Decent Calculator

electronics:

HP 33S Scientific ...

	HP 33S Scientific Calculator (F2216A) Hewlett Packard Hewlett Packard average customer review:based on 139 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

The best calculator ever for day to day engineering.

I have a HP 48G, which I always thought was absolutely the best. But it is large so carrying it to a meeting or in a bag to the jobsite was not so convenient. So I bought this calculator, and now cannot decide which one I like better. 48G has way more functions but many are not for day to day engineering, for example how often do you graph a direction field? You would use a computer if you are serious about it. I did use programming a lot which is very powerful (33S programming is very limited). On the other hand 33S has a most important simple functions very handy. For example to square a number I would need 2 keystrokes with 48G and only one with 33S, and agree squaring is probably the most common operation. The best thing is that 33s has algebraic mode as well, so that people who don't know how to use RPN can still use this calculator. I found this calculator to be incredibly powerful and convenient.

for more information click here

Decent Calculator

I am just getting used to it. I still have a couple of years before I take the P.E. exam (I hope that it is still allowed on it). Previously used HP 48GX. RPN input is the way to go. This calculator can do both RPN and algabraic input though. I like the size and weight as well.

A Capable RPN Calculator

I bought a HP33s a few months ago and find it to be a fairly nice calculator. I don't have a problem with the chevron key layout. It very nicely puts x^2 as a primary function. It is clearly meant for folks who punch lots of equations rather than someone who wants to program a calculator. Not sure who would program a calculator anymore anyway now that we have Excel, Mathcad, etc. on our computers.

I find many of the required processes counterintuitive at first, but the manual is very well written.

The keys are too hard for my tastes and slow me down. For one large equation, I could punch it in 22 sec. with my HP48, but it took 29 sec. with the HP33s because the keys are so much harder. The key layout is better for punching equations through, so it would be screamin' fast if not for the hard keys.

for more information click here

Adequate

I've been using HP scientific calculators for almost three decades. They've been going down hill for a while, but the 33S marks the start of a turnaround. It still isn't back to the solid reliability and excellent design of the HP calculators of the 1980s that oozed quality, but it's a step back in the right direction.

HP deserves credit for fielding a small and lightweight RPN scientific calculator with a lot of useful features at an affordable price. I've owned several of the "handheld computers" and while they have their uses and make great ubergeek status totems, as a practicing engineer I seldom need the heavy duty features. The feature list on the 33s covers almost all the bases for a wide range of technical disciplines including computer science, all branches of engineering, chemistry and physics.

The display could be a lot better. The decimal point is so small I can barely see it with my 40 something eyes. I set a flag that swaps to the European mode where a comma is used instead of the decimal point. It's odd for the US, but at least I can see it.

The keys are a little better than the last HP scientific calculator I bought, but not by much. Keys are a crucial element of a calculator. These keys have held up well for over a year of light use, but they feel a bit cheap and sometimes a key will have a tactile click feel but the keystroke won't register, so I've learned to verify each number I enter before pressing a key for the numerical operator. With good HP calculators, I could trust the feel of the key clicks and know the number was entered correctly.

The learning curve is easy for anyone with RPN scientific calculator experience. I no longer have any desire to spend time learning how to use a complex calculator. The 33s is mostly free of dead end mode traps, where you press a key and find yourself in some odd mode and can't find your way back to calculator mode without the manual. It's a calculator you can immediately use because it works the way you'd expect, and you won't need to devote 20 hours of study to use most of the features.

I don't care much about style, but what preferences I have tend toward clean and simple designs that are understated. The V-shaped arrangement of the keys on the 33s looks a bit like a Romulan tricorder to me.

This is currently the best calculator in its class, but based on past experiences with HP calculators I know it could be much better. I look forward to the next version of this calculator. Based on the HP 50g, it looks like HP is finally listening to their customers again and is recapturing the lost art of making great calculators that HP pioneered a couple of decades ago.

HP calculators are very good investments. I sold several of the classics I owned for a lot more than I paid for them. People realized the classic scientific calculators were better than anything currently available, and I regret selling a couple of them despite the financial gain. The market sets the value, and this is solid evidence that HP calculators have not been as good lately. Hopefully, HP is getting back to their previous calculator glory.

for more information click here