http://www.dynatech.de/ is selling the HP-15C LE for 139,90 EUR.
Christoph
HP-15C LE available in Germany
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03-02-2012, 11:43 AM
http://www.dynatech.de/ is selling the HP-15C LE for 139,90 EUR. Christoph ▼
03-02-2012, 12:01 PM
It appeared in their shop on 30 January. I ordered on the 31. and got mine on the 9th of February. He has already made friends with his predecessor ;-)
Edited: 2 Mar 2012, 12:02 p.m.
03-02-2012, 01:35 PM
The other source within europe is www.thecalculatorstore.com. ▼
03-02-2012, 02:51 PM
Ditto here. Quite fast and reasonable pricing compared to alternatives here. I bought both the 15C LE and 12C 30th Anniversary for the same price as a local shop here wants for the 15C alone. Not to mention the prices they seem to fetch on the big e-flea-market. For the fun of it I also ordered a SmartCalc 300s while at it as the price was laughingly low and a true bargain compared to local prices. Ordered Sunday evening and it was in Denmark by Thursday. Somewhere I read that the manual for the 15C didn't have the new self test mode described. Well it is in mine. The old one isn't there but as on other 15C the old methods kinda "works". Really makes me wonder. If it's a true emulation - why doesn't the old method work too? (at least verifies the emulated part). On the 12C the old method works as expected. That said I'm kinda disappointed especially because of the high price. While it looks like the old (except it's true black) the quality isn't there. But hey that hasn't changed since I bought the 12C 25th Anniversary and a normal 12C w. SunPlus processor (single 2032 cell). Guess "aveporatable" ROM these days is what you get although if buying high volume many µC you can get them with mask ROM instead. Then there's the keys. OK printed keys these days seems to last longer than back then even my heavily used TI-83 first edition still has fine printed keys. However it's the underlying design I'm questioning. A semi-rigid plastic click plate or what to call it I generally do not have great experiences with. It wears and not in a great way. I know why they chose it and that's to resemble the original Voyager series which to my knowledge used much better metal click plates. However IMHO it would have been better to use a silicone rubber one with conductive rubber patches underneath (like most remote controls and calculators with rubber keys) and then with hard buttons on top - more or less like the SmartCalc 300s, the TI-30X MV etc. Perhaps even without the soft"click" of the 300s as to be really gentle on the silicone rubber even it seems to stand the test of time and work even on heavily used vintage ones. Like many old Sharp like EL-122, EL-801, EL-8011 - those buttons are soft "squishy" without any click and yes many people don't like them for that - but - they're just about the most reliable (or perhaps should I say extremely reliable) design I know and even without being expensive. I would gladly sacrifice a little of the button feel in return of reliability.
A few words about the 300s. Why in math print does it give Syntax Error in many cases (but odly not all) if omitting implicit parenthesis? The TI-30X MV handles implicit parentheses just fine. Like "e^(8*ln(2" gives error in math print but in classic line mode it works fine. "e^(8*ln(2)" (first parenthesis isn't there as the text is lifted up) in math print works fine. Really annoying and should be fixed asap as it really affect how useable it feels. First i pulled my hair and didn't understand what was wrong as I was used to the TI. Ending parenthesis shouldn't be required as if they're omitted they should just be calculated implicitly as far to the right as possible - just like the TI which is a breeze to use regarding that point. Remembering to put them there all the time is a hassle of unnecessary keystrokes. Oh and the build quality of the 300s is fine for the price - and hey those keys will easily outlast those on 15C LE / 12C China. Personally I would prefer it not glossy but that's a matter of taste. Edited: 2 Mar 2012, 2:55 p.m. ▼
03-02-2012, 03:44 PM
Well, while it is not of the same quality as the original 15C, I still like the 15C LE. ▼
03-02-2012, 04:46 PM
It's not like I don't like it at all. Just feel it's very overpriced compared to the build quality - not made the way it used to be and probably that's too much to ask today even for a "Limitied 'collectors' Edition". If at least they made the buttons reliable gold plated metal click plates like back then then the price would be better justified. But hey didn't buy it to use it. I bought it as a collectors item ;) As for a calculator for daily use there are other and cheaper options equally good. But I fully understand if bought as collectors item - I bought it myself too ;) Just wondering how long it must be kept to fetch a small fortune. If not keeping it - time will tell if I really learn to like it as I like the older ones. Or perhaps like the Curtas. I have a few mechanical calculators too. Here the Curtas stand out as those I'll probably never sell even though they already represent a small fortune. Electronic ones are HP-35, TI SR-50, Sharp EL-801. Not because of their value (my versions are nothing special) but because I really like the way they're build. True pioneers build to last - and sure - they did.
03-03-2012, 12:48 PM
I've been expecting this and it reassures me that it was the right decission to order my two 15C LEs last December via Erics online store. Even adding the 19% import VAT that I had to pay for customs it still saved me about 60 Euro compared to the dynatech.de price... ;) I had to wait until February until I received them but at least it was then the new batch without the keyboard probs. I use a 48GX in office for most of the number crunching I have to do but the 15C LE complements it nicely for the less demanding tasks. Plus it is much more portbale for meetings and the like. I like the 15C design and layout a lot but I was always too shy to use my other original 15C in office extensively - let alone the other original NIB 15C LE that I also keep safe at home! Talking about it, I remember that I payed less for this original NIB 15C on ebay some two years ago than the price that some new 15C LEs reach today. These prices make the 140 Euro dynatech offer look like a bargain...
Regards, |