Calculators you regret not buying?

[esm]

Hi, I'm new on the forum but I've been interested in calculators for a while. I started with Casios when I was in high school and college (2000s). I eventually got into HP calculators after learning about RPN (I'm also a fan of HP's lab gear and test equipment).

I used Free42 for a while before buying my first HP calculator, an HP-32S. I really liked it but not as much as the 42S with it's dual-line display and better complex number support. I eventually got a DM42 in 2018. My most recent purchase is an HP-15C CE which I'm really liking. I love the continuous memory of HP calculators, something that my Casios never had.

I had considered a 35s a while back when I was first getting into RPN, but I read that it was 'buggy' and decided against it. Now that I'm getting back into calculators, I thought I should buy one only to learn that it was discontinued! New-in-box 35s's are now commanding fairly high prices on the 2nd hand market.

So my questions is: Which calculators do you regret not buying when they were available new? And which current calculators do you think will be future classics?

[jthole]

About the 35s, I tried one for a while when they were still readibly available, and I wasn't convinced that I wanted to use it longer term. So I sold it again, for the same price. Of course I didn't know how prices would skyrocket.

I somewhat regret not having bought any of the RPL graphical calculators when they were still readily available. OTOH, I found them bulky and expensive (and overkill for me) back then. So probably that would still be the case (even more now).

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(12-04-2023 05:16 PM)esm Wrote:  Which calculators do you regret not buying when they were available new?

With hindsight: All those that turned out to become sought after and very precious collectibles one day :-)

But honestly, back when I had to buy calculators for school and university I was on a very limited budget. I got through that timespan with only three calculators, two of which I received a a gift. The one I actually bought was a humble Ti30 LCD ca. 1981 which had to double for my Ti59 workhorse whilst that was away for repair. Those were the days when manufacturers still repaired calculators because they were considered precious tools that one would use for as long as possible. Like your car, you would first try to get it repaired before buying a new one.

But even if I knew that the HP-42S would become a collectible one day, I would not have been able to afford one in it's day, at least not without renouncing to something that was more important to me then. And when the HP-42S which you cite as an example above, came out in 1988, pocket calculators were a thing of the past already, at least in my (then) occupation. Terminals connected to mainframe computers and unix workstations (I have never worked on a PC professionally) on one's own desktop are the tools of the trade...

Anyway, with inflation and everything, even if an HP-42S was an expesive-ish calculator in 1988, it's collector's value in 2023 is much less in 2023 money. The monthly rent of our appartment in 1988 was about the price of a 42S. The same appartment now costs three times as much to rent than one of the 42S offered on eBay. Which of course is mainly due to the crazy housing costs in some parts of Germany. Buying a calculator to see it's value increase would have been an actual waste of money.
There must be exceptions though, like for example the Sinclair Sovereign with solid gold case. The increase of value of the metal alone over 46 years would have made it a good investment.

(12-04-2023 05:16 PM)esm Wrote:  And which current calculators do you think will be future classics?

Honestly? None. Simply becasue in 20, 30 or 40 years, and this is how long it takes for them to become valuable, the number of collectors will be next to zero. But of course I can be wrong!

Regards
Max

[John Garza (3665)]

Excellent points all...

A few sentences to bring a couple of these concepts to focus in the foreground:

1) As with anything, understand your requirements. Is it to actually USE them, or simply to collect them for future capital gain? If the former, then usability, quality, and maintainability are important. If the latter, price appreciation is important, and nothing else matters.

2) As with anything, human psychology plays a role. In collecting there is sentimental value. You generally have to wait 40 years or so for the youngsters who enjoyed something to age, become sentimental, and have the disposable income to buy them again.

As for my regrets, I think it would have been nice to jump on the HP-41C bandwagon when it was released. I didn't for a few reasons - at the time my current HP-67 had better quality of build, and better usability. And I had access to powerful computers, so there was no need for anything more powerful than the 67 - it fit its niche well. The HP-41C would have only been an intellectual toy.

But heck, now they are ALL intellectual toys!

-J

[HP: 9100B/9815A/35/45/55/80/70/65/67/67T/97/97S/91/92/21/22/
27/25/25C/25E/29C/19C/10/31E/32E/33C/34C/37E/38C/41CX/71B/
28S/19BII/12C/15C/32SII/33S/35S/48SX/48GX/50G/Prime]
[TI: 2550/50/50A/51/51A/30/40/MBA/55/52/56/57/58/58C/59/60/66]
[SM: DM32/DM42]

[Johnh]

My recent Hp15C CE is the one I grab several times a day and it scratches an itch I've had for 40 years. Back then, I could never find the money for one and for whatever $ I could afford, a Casio would always offer more than an HP. I programmed my Casios to the hilt to deal with structural engineering calcs , at a time where computers were clunky and scarce in the office. But I didn't love them and I wished they we HP.

These days, I also have an HP35S. I like it and the extra alphanumeric and other features make it better than the 15 for tasks that are a bit more complex, but less than would need a spreadsheet.

[John Keith]

(12-04-2023 06:04 PM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  Anyway, with inflation and everything, even if an HP-42S was an expensive-ish calculator in 1988, it's collector's value in 2023 is much less in 2023 money.
...
Buying a calculator to see it's value increase would have been an actual waste of money.

This is an often overlooked point in discussions regarding the "increasing" value of calculators and other collectibles. The $150 or so that a 42S cost in 1988, properly invested, would be worth many times the cost of a mint condition 42S on fleabay.

OTOH, I do regret not buying several 50g's when Best Buy was selling them for $60 each in the early teens. They appreciated greatly soon after. Such is the nature of 20/20 hindsight...

[Garth Wilson]

I don't know if this qualifies, but the only thing I might wish I had bought was more modules for the 41 and 71, and more HP-IL accessories, particularly the HP82166A HPIL-to-parallel interface.  (I do have the HP82165A, but it's not as flexible.)  I bought what I could afford at the time though.  I've mostly gotten what I wanted later on eBay and also bought Diego's Clonix-D module for my 41cx and installed ROM module images, including ones from Angel which didn't exist back in the day.  The long list of HP-41 modules, accessories, and books I have is at http://wilsonminesco.com/HP41intro.html .

[polbit]

HP 42S. As a heavy HP 28C/S user in high school, I always wanted to play with the 42S, but always found an excuse to get something else. Then my first year in college 48SX showed up, and the rest is history...

[Mike T.]

HP41 + Wand + Card reader

Couldn't afford it back when the HP41 was new and still can't!! (However these days I also don't want the hassle of broken posts).

[Garth Wilson]

(12-05-2023 01:13 AM)Mike T. Wrote:  HP41 + Wand + Card reader

Couldn't afford it back when the HP41 was new and still can't!! (However these days I also don't want the hassle of broken posts).

As far as I can tell, posts only break when people open the calculator, which they usually do without good reason.  Mine is getting close to 40 years old, with no problem except that a couple of the keys have to be pressed a little harder than the others.

[toml_12953]

(12-04-2023 05:16 PM)esm Wrote:  So my questions is: Which calculators do you regret not buying when they were available new? And which current calculators do you think will be future classics?

I regret not buying an HP9100B. I had a chance to buy a few for my business when they first came out but it was an enormous amount of money back then. I couldn't justify the expense at the time.

[twoweims]

When I started Graduate School in around 1986 I finally had enough money to upgrade from my trusty HP-15C. I was going to buy a 71B until I discovered that the Calculator Mode was not RPN. I opted for a 41CX instead. I only discovered what a great machine the 71B was a few years ago when I got interested in them via this museum.

[jftman]

(12-05-2023 01:13 AM)Mike T. Wrote:  HP41 + Wand + Card reader

Couldn't afford it back when the HP41 was new and still can't!! (However these days I also don't want the hassle of broken posts).

Gorilla Glue on tge way, gonna attack my 41C with it.
Super Gorilla glue I haven’t previously used, but the original is like resin when cured.
I think the broken post hasen’t a chance!

[JimP]

Two answers. One, I was given a TI-58 for my 18th birthday and it served me very well for the rest of college and through graduate school. If I could have a do-over I'd have waited for a TI-58C. (The 59 was more than my family could have afforded and there's no way I'd have asked for one!)

In the HP world, which I entered when my TI-58 started to develop a few problems (not insurmountable though) when I was in graduate school, I wanted a 42S but couldn't afford it -- had to wait until I had a real job. Bought a Casio FX-4000P which lasted me a few years until I loaned it to a friend who needed a calculator. He didn't break it, but in the interim I became an HP aficionado and started out with a 48G (again, didn't feel as though I could spring for a 48GX). Over the years accumulated several others, a 33S, then a 49G (when the 48G started developing input problems), then a 35S, a 50G, and a Prime, along with a 27S for grins, and a 17BII+. Finally a 20b (died) and a couple of 30bs, one of which I converted to a WP34S, but both of these have developed some keyboard problems. These days I usually stick to the Prime and the 35s, but the 15C CE remains in my drawer for now as a collectible, along with a couple of mint unopened 40GSs and a 39GIIs.

Various calculators, some from other manufacturers as well, dotted around the house because you never know where and when you might need one, and they're SO much more satisfying to use than a smartphone application.

But I do wish I had an HP-67...

[floppy]

" So my questions is: Which calculators do you regret not buying when they were available new? And which current calculators do you think will be future classics? "

I dont follow the question: I cannot remember to "regret" anything.
When I needed a PC, I could borrow from anybody. I had the "chance" to have an HP41 however, I pushed for it so, it was a forced chance from my side and not a "present" coming from nowhere. I remember looking at CASIO or CANON calculator in the 90s but remember to refrain from buying (high price, no immediate pragmatic advantage in comparison to PC with c/Pascal/FORTRAN or university unix computers and FORTRAN or C compilers etc.).

For me, calculators are now a brain jogging. I make the money earning marathon on other systems.

[HPCarnace]

I studied Industrial Engineering in the 90s in Barranquilla (Colombia). My first scientific calculator was a Casio fx82lb in freshman year, then I had a Casio Fx 5500L and finally an fx 5200p. In those days I could even program a Casio 880p. I never had an HP48G because I didn't have the money to buy it. After finishing university I was able to buy an HP49G, then a ti89 titanium, HP50G and this year I bought a Casio CG50, Hp Prime and TI Nspire CX CAS II. Definitely the calculator that I regret not having bought new is the HP48G, that's why two days ago I bought a used HP48G, it will arrive next week.

[Hiwi]

"je ne regret rien"

the reason is, i had them nearly all :-)

Ok only the scientific and programmable line from HP67 to HP50G

HP67, HP41, HP71, HP75, HP11, HP15, HP16, HP33, HP34, HP28, HP32, HP48, HP42, HP35S, HP49, HP50 and many more.

I live in Hamburg, Germany and there was a HP dependency and they had a great heart for students, so they gave me many HP computers (I think no more in production) like HP85,HP87,HP86, HP150, an Integral with build in printer and many calculator accessories for free, yes for free!

Sometimes my VW Käfer was overloaded. :-)

I dont remember all, there where some more UNIX machines.

The local HP dealer Kiessling was very friendly as well.

Ralf

[johnb]

(12-04-2023 09:01 PM)John Keith Wrote:  OTOH, I do regret not buying several 50g's when Best Buy was selling them for $60 each in the early teens. They appreciated greatly soon after. Such is the nature of 20/20 hindsight...

Oh buddy, you and me both. If I had known that I'd want one (but knew no more than that), I'd have bought 2 of them.

If I'd had the crystal ball and known they would appreciate so much, I'd have bought at least 4.

Now it seems practically impossible to find just one, from a late manufacture run, in good condition, at a price I can afford.

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(12-06-2023 09:48 AM)floppy Wrote:  I dont follow the question: I cannot remember to "regret" anything.

The only thing I regretted then not to have bought (ca. 1980) was one of the early personal computers, e.g. Commodore PET or Apple II. That would really have been useful in my early years at university when I had to type my „homework“, whatever it was called, on a mechanical typewriter (which I still have) with drawings and diagrams pasted-in between paragraphs with scissors and glue. But there was absouletly no way I could afford anything like that. And even my first „real“ computer, a Sinclair ZX81 as DIY kit, was no big help, because it only had capital letters. No way to get a study paper approved that is written in capitals only - and on one of the super mega awful aluminium foil printers that Sinclair used.

What I regret now is that I did not buy two, or more, ZX-81 solder yourself kits back then. They sold at around 300 german marks, which would be 150 Euros now. Occasionally, unassembled kits pop up at eBay now for around 2000 Euros. If I only I had been born with the gift of clairvoyancy it would be me who builds Mars rockets and not Elon Musk ;-)

Regards
Max

[John Garza (3665)]

(12-06-2023 06:33 PM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  What I regret now is that I did not buy two, or more, ZX-81 solder yourself kits back then. They sold at around 300 german marks, which would be 150 Euros now. Occasionally, unassembled kits pop up at eBay now for around 2000 Euros. If I only I had been born with the gift of clairvoyancy it would be me who builds Mars rockets and not Elon Musk ;-)

I guess the comparable item on this side of the Atlantic would be Altair computers, or similar S-100 machines that came in kit form. And some of the factory assembled consumer oriented 'appliance machines' for those that didn't know which end of a soldering iron to hold are commanding high prices as well.

And let's not forget collectible comics! Pennies back then. Thousands to millions of dollars today. Incredible.
If I only had a box full of Action Comics #1 ....

-J