TI59 VS the 41 Vs the 71 VS the 48 Shootout

[Paul Berger (Canada)]

I bought a 58C not long after I started working. I remember I bought it at a department store, that at the time had a showcase and counter dedicated to calculators. I lusted after the 41C with its alpha-numeric LCD display but could not afford one so I settled for a 58C that eventually succumbed to the bouncing key disease. I had also bought a PR-100 that I remember I replaced the print head in a few times. I still have some parts of that 58C within the last few years I got interested in them again and now have a couple working 58Cs and a fully functional 59 with a PR100A. One difference in construction I noted was the TIs have a thin piece of plastic foam between the keys and bubble switches where as the 41 has a sturdy rubber sheet. I trimmed one of these rubber sheets to fit in a TI keyboard and it work great.