HP19BII Version 2

[Frank]

Hi HP Members,

i try to find some informations about the HP19B II and the "renew" Model with the batterycase on the backside ( not on the side ).In eBay you soemtimes can find this Model, but this cost more or less 70%-80% more then the normals one. Is this Battery on the side really a "timebomb" which will getting brooken very fast ? Does someone use some of this models ?
Thank you for some feedback

[Thomas Radtke]

Used the 18C and 19B for some time and exchanged batteries about five or six times in total. Both calculators are comletely intact. But, in case you never saw a clamshell, the battery compartement and the door look fragile and it's obvious care needs to be taken. That's why I stopped using them.

[Harald]

I have a 28C and 28S. On one of them the battery door is broken, on the other one it is OK. The problem is, that the spring load rests on the two tiny plastic edges of the door. Those do break of very easily.

[Siegfried (Austria)]

The parts of the shell retaining the door are too flimsy to withstand the momentum of the batteries when the calc falls on the floor or is banged around too hard (as maybe in a bag). Maybe the clamshell models get a bit more banging around because they look and feel more sturdy when closed (and didn't come with a pouch as far as I remember). We have a 19bii with a broken door retainer in the family and as the breaking parts are in the shell we secure the battery door with tape.

From a collector's point of view it is probably not important to have the new door if you plan occasional use only (and are not after every variety). The newer door might be more desirable if you plan to use it regularly and/or toss it in a bag/briefcase and/or give it to students.

Remember writing veeerry long equations on this thing to overcome the lack of programming.

[Dave Britten]

Also worth considering is that you can probably get a 95LX for about the same price as a 19bii. Its functionality is almost a direct superset of the 19bii, and it also includes Lotus 1-2-3, basic PIM software, and can run some DOS stuff. Oh, and it runs on standard AAs, and the battery door isn't so fragile.

If you want to splurge, the 100LX and 200LX both offer many nice improvements over the 95LX (and still cover the 19bii functionality).

[Thomas Radtke]

Quote:

---

Also worth considering is that you can probably get a 95LX for about the same price as a 19bii.

---

I haven't had a look recently, but when I got mine some years ago, they usually went for 30 to 40 Euro. Only (IMO) drawback of the LX series is their tremendous power consumption. Best is to have them powered via adapter.

[Dave Britten]

Yup, that's a valid concern. In fairness, a pair of AAs is a lot cheaper than a set of four N cells (and probably a lot easier to find in NiMH).