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To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Printable Version

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To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - bill platt - 09-12-2011

Am I alone with this?

I don't want to spoil the fun. And I am really jaw-droppingly impressed that HP came around to the 15C LE!

But I own two 15c, one beat up, the other near perfect. I have the manual, the box, the funny pink wrapper...

And I have an 11C complete with both manuals...

So do I really need a 15C LE? I always thought I'd buy a now production in a jiffy. And now, having become a 17bii fan, I'm not even sure I really need it. And I already have 2 originals.

Am I alone? How many of "us" are sitting on our hands? Is this 10,000 unit business going to back-fire because we sit on our hands?


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Michael de Estrada - 09-12-2011

It's much much much much faster. Try it, you'll like it.


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Namir - 09-12-2011

Bill, buying the new machine comes from an inner conviction. If you don't have it, then stay with the machines you have.

Namir


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Egan Ford - 09-12-2011

No, you are not alone. I also have 2 15C's, one new and one used. Both work great. I've been reading the reviews here and so far I've determined that there are bugs (that can be fixed) and that the keys may be loose or perhaps not as solid as a "classic" 15C. For me I'd probably prefer to continue using my existing 15Cs. That is why I have them; to use.

Now that is not going to stop me from giving the 15C LE (Limited Experience :-) as gifts. It is the 2nd best calculator ever made (after the original 15C of course).


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Martin Pinckney - 09-12-2011

Quote:
@Bill
...having become a 17bii fan, I'm not even sure I really need it.

Am I alone? How many of "us" are sitting on our hands? Is this 10,000 unit business going to back-fire because we sit on our hands?


I felt that way, too, but at $79 w/free shipping I succumbed to the fever. I can say it is very nicely made, bugs aside. Looks nicer than the 12cp 25thA, my only other Voyager experience. I am trying to decide what I really would use it for, since I use Pioneers at home & work every day.
Quote:
@Egan
...Now that is not going to stop me from giving the 15C LE (Limited Experience :-) as gifts.

That may be what I end up doing with it.

Edited: 12 Sept 2011, 11:13 p.m.


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Don Shepherd - 09-12-2011

Bill, you're not alone. I'm not a scientist, so I have neither the need nor the desire for a 15c--old or new. Like you, I have become a 17bii fan, due to its programmable solver. I am challenged to see if a solution to a problem can be programmed on the 17bii solver, given its limitations. Not the 17bii+, that solver is a huge disappointment.

And I'm also a fan of the 32sii since Katie turned me on to that machine. A programmer's delight.

While others order their 15c's, I'm collecting the old iron--17bii and 32sii--on Ebay. I just got a NIB 17bii for $12.50.

And I never have to worry if my self-test or PSE will work.


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Michael de Estrada - 09-12-2011

I'm just the opposite, an engineer with little interest in business models. I have an original HP 12c, and have no interest in the modern ones, including the 12c+. I also have a 32sii, which my last company gave me when I worked for them and they graciously let me keep it when I retired. I also have a mint 32s that I picked up recently. Now that I've also got both an original and new 15c's, I may just donate my 35s to a friend, since I really don't care for it very much. Frankly, the only modern scientific HP calc that I like is the 50g.


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Martin Pinckney - 09-12-2011

Quote:
I'm just the opposite, an engineer with little interest in business models.

My favorite is the 27s, for the combination of common scientific functions plus that wonderful alphanumeric Solver.

Although also an engineer, I, like Bill and Don, find the 17b/17bii's useful, because:

1) They share the same solver as the 27s (albeit with a somewhat different feature set),

2) They add some useful 'business' (as opposed to 'financial') functions that the 27s lacks, and,

3) They generally come a lot cheaper than the 27s.


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Katie Wasserman - 09-12-2011

Quote:
I'm collecting the old iron--17bii and 32sii

Old plastic, maybe. Old iron would be the 9100, 9825, no?

I'm a big fan of both of these calculators of course. But I use my 12C+ every day as well.

As a collector a have to buy anything that's LE, so that was an easy decision. I'm sure I'll play with the 15c LE a lot if for no other reason than to enjoy the speed that I always wished for during the many years that my 11C and 16C kept me going.

I can't wait to calculate pi to 400+ digits in no time at all.

-Katie




Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Lincoln R. - 09-13-2011

I own a 12C and 12C+ but may sell them because I really don't need financial calculators. The only real reason I bought the 12C+ was to try to get a feel for what the 15C LE keyboard would be like...


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Geoff Quickfall - 09-13-2011

Well, I have the beta unit and it is used every day at the moment. So it should be parked as it is different looking from the 15LE.

Of course I now have to get two LE's, one to replace the beta version and one to save in pristine condition in the box for the heck of it.

Gee, if I had only kept the original 15C or 15C or 41C in its box when I purchased them. Here's my chance.

So 4 restored originals. One beta, and two production models.

OCD or what!

Geoff


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Nick R - 09-13-2011

I'll buy one if they eventually become available here in Canada. I'm not particularly taken with the Limited Edition status, as I don't believe any currently produced calculators are manufactured to a high enough standard to take their place in a collection alongside their illustrious predecessors such as the original 15C.
I appreciate the effort that's gone into resurrecting this Voyager model. I just find it sad that there are no longer any calculators being made on this continent, and what does arrive from overseas sources is generally more recyclable than collectible.


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Manatee - 09-13-2011

I have an original 15C, in very good condition, and I really have no need for a calc with its feature set anymore. Still, I was so amazed that the new 15C actually made it to production that I bought two. One will be carried in my daypack, and I'll play with it as time allows. The other will remain unopened, becoming part of my personal time capsule, along with my never-opened pets.com sock puppet.


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Manolo Sobrino - 09-13-2011

If the 15c is your main calculator, and you are sure it is because you have tried many others, then you should get one if you can afford it (two spare calculators should be enough). Otherwise, there's no real need... but we all love new toys, don't we?


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Lincoln R. - 09-13-2011

It's unfortunate, but I believe that the last American-made calculator (of any kind that i've encountered, not just HP) was the 48sx (and even those had a Japanese LCD display if you really want to split hairs). By the time it came out, TI had already outsourced most of their manufacturing to Taiwan, and most of the other North American calculator manufacturers had failed in the early 80s.

Singapore-made HPs seemed to be as good as the American ones, once things started moving to Indonesia and China quality did take a drop, but honestly the later models (12c+, 30b, etc.) seem to be better built than things like the 49g, later production Pioneers with the key labels that wear off, etc. Do they match the quality of the 80s HPs? Probably not, but if anyone could even make a calculator like that it would cost so much that only people like us would buy one, and there aren't enough of us to keep a few hundred people employed for 40 hours a week making calculators.


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - Martin Pinckney - 09-13-2011

Quote:
I appreciate the effort that's gone into resurrecting this Voyager model. I just find it sad that there are no longer any calculators being made on this continent, and what does arrive from overseas sources is generally more recyclable than collectible.

Generally true, for sure. I do find the build quality on the 15cLE to be excellent. Time will tell how it holds up.


Re: To buy or not to buy..that is the conundrum - megarat - 09-13-2011

As an original 15c owner (and having also acquired a second one for the office) I waffled with the same dilemma, but settled on buying one, for the following reasons:

-- Provide my support to HP for resurrecting this great vintage calc, and creating new scientific calculators in general.

-- In case anyone creates a new firmware for this calculator, I'll be able to play along.

(The calculator may actually get some use, for instance as a travel candidate, but I doubt it will actually supplant any of the vintage 15c units that I have.)

I had thought about picking up a second one as a gift, but decided against it for now.

Edited: 13 Sept 2011, 3:52 p.m.