NEW: HP 15C Collectors Edition

[rprosperi]

I don't have one of the new 15c CE units, so can't answer from direct experience, however it's reasonable to conclude the quality will be quite similar to the latest 12C units which have been available for several months. I own one of those, but it's sealed, and won't be opened (at least not until I'm buried), so sadly, no hope there.

But, I also have a 12C from 2020 production and that one was fine, key-click was crisp and feeling was good, even if not exactly the same as 'classic' units, which BTW, feel quite different from one another today due to how they've been used and stored, etc. for 30+ years. But this unit was not heavily used so I can't say how long/well the crisp feel will last. The keys of many of the units from the early 2000s were pretty poor, but they seems to have improved again in recent years, likely as a result of all the criticism those poor units received.

While many of us would love to see double-shot keys, that will never happen again in any kind of consumer product; the costs are simply prohibitive (I've see estimates as high as 10 X normal, and suspect the truth is likely worse than that). It would be nice, but until it becomes a mainstream demand, which it won't, it shall remain a thing exclusive to our memories and collections.

[JDW]

(05-03-2023 01:24 AM)rprosperi Wrote:  ...it's reasonable to conclude the quality will be quite similar to the latest 12C units

But, I also have a 12C from 2020 production and that one was fine, key-click was crisp and feeling was good, even if not exactly the same as 'classic' units, which BTW, feel quite different from one another today due to how they've been used and stored, etc. for 30+ years. But this unit was not heavily used so I can't say how long/well the crisp feel will last. The keys of many of the units from the early 2000s were pretty poor, but they seems to have improved again in recent years, likely as a result of all the criticism those poor units received.

I demonstrated the sound of the 12c Platinum's keys and described the feel in detail in my video review here...

https://youtu.be/0UKx-nQofdE?t=1175

While I can fully appreciate the arguments about why double-shot keys can't or won't happen again, the fact remains that if your key markings wear off over time (and I assure you, they will if the device is ever used on a regular basis), the physical appearance is then marred to the extent that much of the joy in using the calculator fades, and then one finds himself back on EBAY, searching for an original, which will last longer than a lifetime. Double shot key originals are serious collectables that one can pass down from one generation to the next.

My remarks do not seek to diminish the importance of this new Collector's Edition 15c. I applaud the people who made it happen, and I truly hope it brings about a 16c at some point.

[metcalfdds]

Well, I just ordered one, but, holy cow! €37 for shipping to US? Oh, well.

[JDW]

(05-03-2023 02:25 AM)metcalfdds Wrote:  Well, I just ordered one, but, holy cow! €37 for shipping to US? Oh, well.

It's excessive, and here's why.

The Swiss Micros DM15L is a 15c clone that costs US$156 at today's exchange rate, and shipping from Europe to an address in the USA costs a mere US$18. Sure, that takes a few weeks to arrive, but hey, at least they offer a lost cost option. They also offer DHL at a much higher price which arrives sooner, but some people like myself would rather have slow and cheap than fast and outrageous.

Speaking of Swiss Micros, one might wonder why the DM15L isn't the better buy. It's 30x faster than the original 15c, has a good amount of memory and comes with a 5-year warranty too.

For me, the lone reason I've not purchased a Swiss Micros calculator is because of the keys. I am perhaps rare among calculator lovers in this regard, but the look and feel of the keys means everything to me. I love the beveled keys on my 28S and 48GX, and to top it off, they are double-shot, which means the markings cannot wear off over time. If Swiss Micros had beveled keys, I MIGHT consider a purchase despite the lackluster printed markings, but alas, it is not so.

So the key advantage of the 15c Collectors Edition is, other than HP branding, the shape of the keys, and hopefully, the same click-feel too. The downside would be the printed markings versus the double-shot of the original, but that isn't as big a difference as the lack of a beveled shape on the Swiss Micros calculators.

Seriously, if I were running Swiss Micros, I'd have paid the extra money to make beveled keys. The Swiss are known for intricately designed mechanical watches, so it shocked the heck out of me to learn Swiss Micros didn't pay the same attention to detain when it came to the SHAPE of the keys, which matters the world to people like me.

KEYS MATTER.
(And so does the cost of shipping.)
:-)

[dmh]

Anyone worked out shipping to Australia yet?

(05-03-2023 02:25 AM)metcalfdds Wrote:  Well, I just ordered one, but, holy cow! €37 for shipping to US? Oh, well.

[WallyEmm]

(05-03-2023 02:25 AM)metcalfdds Wrote:  Well, I just ordered one, but, holy cow! €37 for shipping to US? Oh, well.

The Calculator Store price of 129.99 € includes VAT. Was VAT taken out of the price for shipping to the US? I didn't see any mention of that, but I didn't go through the order process.

Thanks.

[Harald]

(05-03-2023 06:57 AM)WallyEmm Wrote:  

(05-03-2023 02:25 AM)metcalfdds Wrote:  Well, I just ordered one, but, holy cow! €37 for shipping to US? Oh, well.

The Calculator Store price of 129.99 € includes VAT. Was VAT taken out of the price for shipping to the US? I didn't see any mention of that, but I didn't go through the order process.

Thanks.

I ordered from Germany, and the German VAT of 19% was applied rather than the spanish 21%. If you get the impression we have lower taxation here in Germany, make sure you are seated comfortably before asking about our incometax

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(05-03-2023 07:21 AM)Harald Wrote:  

(05-03-2023 06:57 AM)WallyEmm Wrote:  The Calculator Store price of 129.99 € includes VAT. Was VAT taken out of the price for shipping to the US? I didn't see any mention of that, but I didn't go through the order process.

Thanks.

I ordered from Germany, and the German VAT of 19% was applied rather than the spanish 21%. If you get the impression we have lower taxation here in Germany, make sure you are seated comfortably before asking about our incometax

And 22% VAT in Italy.
Please don't get me started on income taxation here...

[jonteague]

UK folks:

Both Science Studio and Oxford Educational have said they will be stocking them. SRP is £119 (inc VAT) in UK but they usually both come in a bit under SRP.

EDIT: Oxford Ed have it up on their site for pre-order already - https://www.studentcalculators.co.uk/aca...ckard.html

[Michael Lopez]

For those of you living in Australia like I am, just placed an order for the new 15C ce & costs were: 115.69 Euro for calculator including leather case (0% VAT applied) + 37.50 Euro delivery = 153.19 Euro. Australian VAT at 10% will then be added on top.

Cheers,

Michael

[carey]

(05-03-2023 06:57 AM)WallyEmm Wrote:  The Calculator Store price of 129.99 € includes VAT. Was VAT taken out of the price for shipping to the US?

No VAT was applied to my US order.

[Dave Britten]

For what it's worth, I have a made-in-China 12C (one of the 1xCR2032 pre-ARM variants) from 2002, if I'm reading the serial number correctly. It was a display model from Office Depot. It has painted keys. And it feels great, honestly - better than quite a few of my original '80s Voyagers. And none of the labels show any signs of wearing off. So if this new 15C ends up being at least that good, I would have zero complaints.

[ctrclckws]

Another difference I would expect from the original and the Swissmicro's calculators is speed.

I have 2020 edition HP-12's that calculate mortgage amortization nearly instantly.
First Generation HP-12's took a noticable amount of seconds.
the DM12 speed depends on the clock speed, but it is in between.

[Chr Yoko]

"Included is a new printed manual with foreword by Gene Wright and Wlodek Mier-Jedrzejowicz"

Cooool !

Just ordered one with its leather sleave from José 8-)

[burkhard]

I'm excited!
A couple of questions:

1. Will this be sold through any North American sellers or will it be Europe-only because it's a Monrovia product rather than a Royal one?

2. Is this truly planned to be a "limited edition" short run product as the Oxford web site suggests or will it be a continuing-availability product as long as demand is maintained? I hope the latter... These things need to be used, not exist solely as collector shelf queens. And, as we've seen, bugs tend to not get fixed on limited edition products.

If it's limited production AND Europe-only, I'll need to pony up the € (or £) for some steep shipping to the USA...

[Massimo Gnerucci]

I'm sorry to read that so many people are lamenting the high shipping charges.
This is what we europeans routinely have to pay when buying (especially) in the USA.
Not to mention when shipping is done through eBay!

I believe that the 15C CE will be sold in the USA, maybe just a little later, so this won't be an issue if one doesn't have to have it ASAP.

[Stevetuc]

(05-03-2023 06:54 PM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:  I'm sorry to read that so many people are lamenting the high shipping charges.
This is what we europeans routinely have to pay when buying (especially) in the USA.
Not to mention when shipping is done through eBay!

I believe that the 15C CE will be sold in the USA, maybe just a little later, so this won't be an issue if one doesn't have to have it ASAP.

How do you say schadenfreude in Italian?

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(05-03-2023 08:16 PM)Stevetuc Wrote:  

(05-03-2023 06:54 PM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:  I'm sorry to read that so many people are lamenting the high shipping charges.
This is what we europeans routinely have to pay when buying (especially) in the USA.
Not to mention when shipping is done through eBay!

I believe that the 15C CE will be sold in the USA, maybe just a little later, so this won't be an issue if one doesn't have to have it ASAP.

How do you say schadenfreude in Italian?

It could be "mal comune, mezzo gaudio", more or less.
But not much joy, in the end.

[BruceH]

(05-03-2023 12:01 AM)JDW Wrote:  I personally would have an issue with painted keys versus molded ones, despite the fact that I’m no longer in the 1980s.

I do a lot of work on keys of various kinds. And I can tell you, in almost every case, painted keys reveal their inferior quality over time when the painted portions start to disappear or disappear completely. It really tarnishes an otherwise great item.

I can’t really emphasize enough how important that one point is for me.

But there’s actually more. I like the fact that the keys are physically shaped in the same way the original keys are, but do they feel the same when pressed, and do they make the same sound as the original high-quality original key switches do? That is another “key consideration” (ha, ha) that perhaps doesn’t bother some people but would be something that I myself will keep an eagle eye on.

KEYS MATTER

FWIW, key legend wear is highly dependent on the user. I knew one HP95LX user who completely wore off the shift key markings in 18 months. And I mean *completely* - there was no sign the keys had ever had a label on them. I can only assume he had sandpaper for skin and sweat only mildly less acidic than the creature from 'Alien'.

On the other hand, my 95LX and then 200LX were used daily for years and are pristine (from a keycaps point of view - the hinges eventually cracked, of course, but opening and closing carefully postponed that day by several years).

[Gerson W. Barbosa]

(05-03-2023 09:02 PM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:  

(05-03-2023 08:16 PM)Stevetuc Wrote:  How do you say schadenfreude in Italian?

It could be "mal comune, mezzo gaudio", more or less.
But not much joy, in the end.

In Portuguese we say “Rir da desgraça alheia”, which would translate in Italian as “Ridere della sfortuna altrui” (To laugh at others’ misfortune). I have read that “Schadenfreude” is one of those words that don’t have an exact translation in any other language, though.

I am not expecting the new HP-15C to ever sell in Brazil, but I am not willing to pay 60% import tax over price and shipping fees. If it proves to be a usable calculator, unlike my 15C LE, I may change my mind.