How do you like the Woodstock calculators?

[vassilisprevelakis]

The Woodstock's came before my time, so I have to admit that I am not burdened by nostalgia when using them. So ...

Actually, I hate the Woodstock series because of of their physical design. The case is such that you don't have a good view of the display when they are on the desk, and the display does not have enough digits.

The case looks like a bathtub and gives the impression that cost cutting was the prime consideration in their design.

So with the Woodstock's out, what would be my choice for a LED calculator?

Nowadays, programming a LED calculator is a waste of time. Dealing with the numeric encoding of the instructions is a pain, and anyway programs take too long to run. So wasting keyboard real estate for programming instructions (e.g. SST/BST, GTO, GSB etc.) is counter productive.

In other words a non-programmable LED calculator has more useful operations directly accessible via single key presses.

For this reason I think the HP-32E is probably the best LED calculator for today's use.

Unfortunately, I don't own a 32E, so I have compromised on a 33C which also has continuous memory.

A good runner up (albeit with a larger format) is the 19C which has the bonus of continuous memory AND printing.

Finally, for desktop use, the HP-97 is king, with its huge display and amazing keyboard.

**vp

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