hp 50G build quality in today's standards (2018)

[Claudio L.]

I have 2, one from 2006 (soon after release) and one spare I bought in 2012.
Both have been used daily at work, plus hobby programming, including on-calc coding so the keyboard was used more than average. Functionally, both keyboards are in perfect condition, all keys register, no double presses, no broken keys. The paint held very well, I can't tell the old one from the newer one when viewed from the top (from the bottom, the old one lost 2 of the rubber feet, the glue turned into a gooey semi-liquid compound a couple of years ago, and the feet just fell off).
Other than that, you can't tell which one has 12 years of use. I think that's excellent quality, especially on the paint around the keys.

My 49G+ however, which I got in 2003 soon after release, developed a broken key a year into use, and had double press problems all the time. By the time I got the 50g (3 years of use), it had 5 broken keys, much of the paint around the keys was gone, and the black plastic rim around the calculator had cracked and was gone completely. The exact same level of use and care was applied to the 50g, which looks like new 12 years later so the difference was night and day, at least for me (my 49g+ was from the earlier batches).