My working history with HP LCD models

[MarkPalmer]

I started off playing with a HP 25 LED calculator when I was around 12 or 13 that was given to me by my father after he got a new 34C where he worked. Although my heart will always be with the LED models as collectibles, I have used several of the LCD models extensively through my career thus far. Here is a rundown of the LCD ones I used at work, and my thoughts about them:

11C: I bought this new in 1985 while still in high school from a college book store, I think I paid in the neighborhood of $120.00 for it. It served me well at my first job up through 2001. I only replaced its batteries once in all the time I had it, and it always worked flawlessly. However it did get ugly- the chrome bezel thing on the top got spotty and it got too ugly for my tastes. I set it aside and it was one of the first things I ever sold on E-Bay. Despite it looking ugly I got back nearly what I paid for it.

32Sii: This replaced the 11C in 2001 when I found two of them in a closeout cart at the local Wal-Mart marked down to $8.00. I gave one to my dad, and used the other. It was sort of disappointing compared to the 11C, it just didn’t have that HP “feel” to it. It felt cheap to me by comparison, but I honestly didn’t expect much from it knowing they were cheapened down things coming out of a blister pack at that time. It was truly nothing special. But it did work perfectly, and I didn’t have any issues at all with it and I never replaced its batteries. A few years later this model became really collectible, for reasons still unknown to me. On E-Bay it went, and it sold for around $130.00. So, HP paid me a lot of money to use this one.

33S: I picked up this one to replace the 33Sii. I only used it at work for a couple of years. Although it performed OK, for some reason it ate through batteries. Seemingly every six months or so, the batteries were dead. My thinking was that HP had somehow moved backwards in technology with this thing, as they made them before where the batteries would last for many years under normal use. I still have this one, but it’s at home and I’m sure the batteries are dead in it. I did not like this calculator and I was hesitant to buy any more new HP calculators but….

35S: Since I was sick of the 33S, I asked for this for my birthday 4 years ago and it has been my workhorse since. I really like it, and for a Kinpo made job have no issues with it at all. It works perfectly, and the batteries are still the originals. It’s a great operating and looking scientific calculator IMHO, I’ll probably have it around for a while as long as it holds up. I like it probably as much as the 11C, more than the 32Sii, and much more than the 33S.

Thank you for allowing me to share my silly story

-Mark-

[John Galt]

Great story, thanks.

Imagine a 32S II for the cost of a sandwich! I just offered $135 for one and was turned down.

The ones I bought new and eventually sold all got much more than I paid for them. The only reason for selling them was that I was no longer using them much so they were sitting around unloved. It was gratifying enough to have found them a nice home, but getting a pile of cash is always a nice bonus.