Is HP Prime V1 still worth buying in 2023?

[lvt]

Is there any reason for which I should stay away from the Prime V1?

I'm more concerned about quality than capability of the Prime, I would like to know whether the V1 has a design flaw or inferior material in comparison with the V2.

Is the Prime's keyboard as good as the 12C?

Thanks all.

[Didier Lachieze]

The Prime V1 is a perfectly fine calculator. But avoid the original version with the pale key legend colors which are almost unreadable, specially for aging eyes.
You can see the difference between the original and upgraded keyboard color schemes here.

I’m not aware of any quality issue on the Prime V1 other than the key legend colors. I own both V1 and V2 and I don’t see any difference on the keyboard between the two versions. The keys have the nice HP click feeling and register perfectly well, for comparison the original 12C keys are a little softer and the HP-48 keys a little harder. The fact that since 2013 nobody on this forum came with an " HP Prime keyboard quality issue" topic is a proof that this is a non-issue.

[lvt]

(12-31-2022 09:08 AM)Didier Lachieze Wrote:  The Prime V1 is a perfectly fine calculator. But avoid the original version with the pale key legend colors which are almost unreadable, specially for aging eyes.
You can see the difference between the original and upgraded keyboard color schemes here.

I’m not aware of any quality issue on the Prime V1 other than the key legend colors. I own both V1 and V2 and I don’t see any difference on the keyboard between the two versions. The keys have the nice HP click feeling and register perfectly well, for comparison the original 12C keys are a little softer and the HP-48 keys a little harder. The fact that since 2013 nobody on this forum came with an " HP Prime keyboard quality issue" topic is a proof that this is a non-issue.

Thank you, I read the whole thread and it turns out that there is no way to know if the model listed for sale has the higher color contrast if I buy it online.

But on a menu driven calculator like the Prime, is the keyboard really that important?

[Didier Lachieze]

(12-31-2022 10:25 AM)lvt Wrote:  But on a menu driven calculator like the Prime, is the keyboard really that important?

Yes, it is, I can confirm by experience. You should ask for a picture of the exact unit you’ll be buying to check the keyboard contrast.

[toml_12953]

(12-31-2022 05:09 AM)lvt Wrote:  Is there any reason for which I should stay away from the Prime V1?

I'm more concerned about quality than capability of the Prime, I would like to know whether the V1 has a design flaw or inferior material in comparison with the V2.

Is the Prime's keyboard as good as the 12C?

Thanks all.

I'm pretty sure that if you ever want to connect to external sensors, get V2.

[lvt]

(12-31-2022 10:39 AM)Didier Lachieze Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 10:25 AM)lvt Wrote:  But on a menu driven calculator like the Prime, is the keyboard really that important?

Yes, it is, I can confirm by experience. You should ask for a picture of the exact unit you’ll be buying to check the keyboard contrast.

The photo from their listing, it looks like the one with lower contrast?

[lvt]

(12-31-2022 11:25 AM)toml_12953 Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 05:09 AM)lvt Wrote:  Is there any reason for which I should stay away from the Prime V1?

I'm more concerned about quality than capability of the Prime, I would like to know whether the V1 has a design flaw or inferior material in comparison with the V2.

Is the Prime's keyboard as good as the 12C?

Thanks all.

I'm pretty sure that if you ever want to connect to external sensors, get V2.

No sensor for me.

I'm a longtime user of the Free42 app. I think it's time to get a real device. I liked the DM42 from Swiss Micro but I realized that I may need a device with backlighting because most of my free times are at night and mostly in the car so the Prime naturally ticks all the boxes for me.

My typical usages are simple games and RPN.

[Didier Lachieze]

(12-31-2022 12:43 PM)lvt Wrote:  The photo from their listing, it looks like the one with lower contrast?

Definitely.

(12-31-2022 12:51 PM)lvt Wrote:  My typical usages are simple games and RPN.

You’ll be disappointed with RPN on the HP Prime. This is essentially an algebraic machine with an afterthought RPN mode that has been added to enable simple calculations in RPN but if you want to use it as your main entry mode be aware that there are several limitations. For example when calling a function with multiple parameters you have to specify the number of parameters passed onto the stack, also programs don’t have full access to the RPN stack and can’t return more than one result to the stack. I’m a long term RPN user and I love it but I don’t use RPN on the Prime.

Have you tried the Windows virtual Prime calculator or an iOS/Android app to verify if the Prime will fit your needs?

[lvt]

(12-31-2022 01:30 PM)Didier Lachieze Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 12:43 PM)lvt Wrote:  The photo from their listing, it looks like the one with lower contrast?

Definitely.

(12-31-2022 12:51 PM)lvt Wrote:  My typical usages are simple games and RPN.

You’ll be disappointed with RPN on the HP Prime. This is essentially an algebraic machine with an afterthought RPN mode that has been added to enable simple calculations in RPN but if you want to use it as your main entry mode be aware that there are several limitations. For example when calling a function with multiple parameters you have to specify the number of parameters passed onto the stack, also programs don’t have full access to the RPN stack and can’t return more than one result to the stack. I’m a long term RPN user and I love it but I don’t use RPN on the Prime.

Have you tried the Windows virtual Prime calculator or an iOS/Android app to verify if the Prime will fit your needs?

OK thanks, I will look more closely to the matters before pulling the trigger.

In fact I have no particular requirements on the Prime, I just want a calculator with color screen that can do a bit of gaming and RPN. The rechargeable battery is definitely a plus.

[Csaba Tizedes]

I bought a broken LCD Prime with dark blue keyboard for approx USD12 and a mint new one Prime without battery with low contrast keyboard. The change of two keyboards was approx 10 minutes and very easy. Maybe you can solve it same way.

Cs.

[lvt]

(01-02-2023 09:43 AM)Csaba Tizedes Wrote:  I bought a broken LCD Prime with dark blue keyboard for approx USD12 and a mint new one Prime without battery with low contrast keyboard. The change of two keyboards was approx 10 minutes and very easy. Maybe you can solve it same way.

Cs.

Thanks for the tips.

[Kevin Ouellet]

As a long time user of the G1 HP Prime I can confirm it's an excellent calculator. Just don't go overboard with HP PPL language because the RAM is more limited, but it's still way higher than many competing calculators. I just wish the G2 model was closer to the price I paid for G1 ($130 ($35 shipping) on Hpcalc.org back in 2013 which was approximately $180 total in Canadian dollars). My favorite thing is the touchscreen, which responds surprisingly well when using advanced graphs.