When purchasing a 41cx, does the production year matter?

[Jase]

Hi all,
I'm saving up for a future ebay purchase (by Christmas) of an HP 41cx.
My question is this...

According to wikipedia, the cx was made from 83 to 90.
Is there any particular year that should be avoided? Are the earlier models better than the later, or are they all pretty much the same level of quality?

Thanks for any guidance.
Jase.

[rprosperi]

This can be somewhat of a religious topic (where all answers are correct for the speaker/writer) but most of the loyal agree that "FullNut" machines, which were earlier (I think the change was in '86 but not sure) are better, with a far better (easier to read) LCD design. The later "HalfNut" models that followed are supposedly more reliable electronically, due to the fewer components on the board, newer technology, blah, blah, but most dead 41C family members were killed by battery leaks or broken posts, the number that have died due failed electronics is tiny.

You can easily and reliably tell a FullNut from a HalfNut machine with just a glance at the LCD.

FullNut: Square corners, no border
HalfNut: Rounded corners with a black border of some kind around the perimeter of the window

Another advantage of a FullNut is it can be upgrade to a 41CL, which a HalfNut cannot.

There is more to say (e.g. very early TallKeys models) and it likely will be added below, but I will clearly recommend a FullNut.

[Jase]

Ah, very helpful. Did some digging and learned quite a bit.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.