Calculators you regret buying?

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(12-11-2023 11:56 AM)Gerald H Wrote:  38G - Awful in all departments, ...

I think it is mainly the difference between expectation and reality which makes you either regret a purchase or turn it into a pleasant experience. About the HP-38G I had read nothing good at all here: "Awful", "horrible", "slow" and "useless" must be the attributes most often assigned to this machine. When I got mine, really cheap from eBay, I was rather pleased: A very robust calculator perfectly suited for what it is inteded for: A teaching/learning aid for schoolchildren. Very useable for this purpose and inexpensive compared with other HP products of that era - affordable for everyone. An HP-48G would have cost three times as much in 1995. Easily programmable in BASIC, which is something I appreciate, and even with a pleasant colour scheme.

But then, since I am still trying to put together a complete collection of all calculators from HP, there can really be no "regret" when finding another one, especially if it comes cheap :-) Delusion yes, regret no! Last week I was able to purchase my (first and certainly only) HP Prime for 35 Euros from eBay, which is about the maximum amount this calculator is worth to me. Yet another half-delusion I must say, especially the almost unreadable alpha labels on the keyboard. In the same week I found a Ti nspire CX II (the latest model I think) for about the same price. If I could keep only one of the two I really wouldn't know which one.

Regards
Max