HP Classics: About Cases and Boxes

[isanchez]

Hi everybody,
I am trying to put in order my HP collection. I have doubts about the assignation of hard cases and pouches to different HP classic models. I have not seen this in the website, so maybe could be of help.
As far as I know, from my experience "surfing" in eBay, there are three types of Hard-cases for classic models:

Grey plastic small size: for HP35 only (early models:1,2 or all?)
Grey plastic big size: for HP35 (types 3&4 or none?), 80, 45, 70, 55 & 65 models
Black vinyl small size (luxury): for HP80 & 45 models, only?
Cardboard box: HP67/97 (no hard case for this model at all)

About the pouches, I have seen four types:
-Black leather model with velcro and pocket: supposed to be in the small hard cases? mainly bended in a roll with a elastic band. For 35, 80 & 45 (all when bought in small sized cases?)
-Brown leather-like model ("Hewlett Packard" vertical orientation) with zipper: for all classic models, except 65 & 67
-Specific leather black pouch with velcro and front pocket for hp65
-Specific brown leather-like pouch with internal pocket & zipper for hp67 ("Hewlett Packard" diagonal orientation)

Please, make remarks or corrections.

Thanks in advance,
Kind regards

Ignacio

[John R]

(06-05-2015 10:23 AM)isanchez Wrote:  About the pouches, I have seen four types:
-Black model with velcro and pocket: supposed to be in the small hard cases? mainly bended in a roll with a elastic band. For 35, 80 & 45 (all when bought in small sized cases?)

There are actually a few different versions of the black leather classic pouches.

1. Belt loop, no pocket, double-stitched Velcro flap: I think this was only used for early HP-35 calculators -- Red Dot and possibly very early version 2. This pouch has several differences from the later versions, including a slightly narrower flap and a smaller belt loop, in addition to the double stitching and lack of pocket.

2. Belt loop, pocket: this seems to be the standard pouch used for most classic models for most of their production runs. As you said, it came with the 35, 45, and 80. I don't think the 55 or 70 (later classic releases) ever came with this pouch.

3. No belt loop, pocket: I don't know which model or version this came with. I have one of these that houses an HP-80, but I'm not certain that's actually the model it came with.

4. The HP-65 version, as you described above.

Thanks for starting a thread to characterize these! I have always thought it would be interesting to try to catalog the case variants for the various models and families, since there were often a lot of variations in these over the course of a release.

[isanchez]

Thanks for your contribution!
For me it is important because I have some classics without pouch and/or case...I would like to be coherent matching them properly when I buy one.

I am going to try to include some pictures.

Thanks and kind regards

Ignacio

[HP-Collection]

After a short visit of HP-Collection I took one of each - at least as I found them quicky.

Upper row: two different HP-35 cases (different addresses), card box for this box. The last box I wonder myself as I thought, the classics were only sold in card boxes with teh plastic box in it. After that I tought it was a HP-70A box, as they were not sold in plastic as I remembver but it's truely a HP-35 box.

Second row: two different plastic boxes (one without / with brand), and the black box

Lower row: on the right the cardbox in which the left box was in.

Home that hels a bit concerning the boxes.

[Les Bell]

(06-07-2015 06:36 PM)HP-Collection Wrote:  The last box I wonder myself as I thought, the classics were only sold in card boxes with teh plastic box in it.

When I bought my 45, in the UK in 1975 (might have been 74 - I forget) I'm pretty sure it didn't have the plastic box. In fact, it didn't have the black leather wallet that earlier models did . It had a zip-up vinyl wallet of the type we know from the 41, with a belt loop that wouldn't stand much punishment, so I sprang for the optional hard leather case.

I bought an HP-65 from HP Canada in early 1977, and that had the olive-coloured hard plastic case to hold everything, including the soft black leather case with extra pocket for the QRG (or maybe a packet of mag cards?).

I sold the 45 in 1978 or so, but bought a replacement recently, and it lives in a soft leather case with no pocket, which appears to have been made for the 35, 45 or 55.

[isanchez]

Hi,

to complete it, maybe we can do the inverse process now by model. Adding your comments, it should go like this:

-Hp35: 1)Specific smaller plastic box (two types according with the procedence, USA or Singapore). For this box, black leather case (with three differen versions with slight differences), rolled and tied with an elastic.
Also some with leather like case with zip and belt, with Hewlett Packard in vertical orientation.
2) Also cardboard boxes with an without pastic box inside.
3) Some without plastic case.

- HP80 & 45: 1)Black vinyl "luxury" case with the same case than the 35
2)Bigger plastic box with leather like case with zip and make with vertical orientation (the same as mentioned for the 35)

-HP70: nohing to say about the box; the pouch seems the "classic" with zip, the same as the one for the 35, 45, & 80
-HP55: 1)Same Hp80/45 2nd configuration
2) cardboard box without plastic box.

-Hp65: Same bigger plastic box as for the 45 with specific leather case with logo, velcro and front pocket.

-Hp 67: in cardboard box. No plastic box. Specific leather-like case with zip and make in diagonal orientation. Internal pocket.

One fianl question: the HP35 where only sold in the specific plastic cases (smaller)? No one was sold in the bigger plastic case, like the 45/65/55...am I right?

Thanks and kind regards
Ignacio

[PANAMATIK]

Hi Ignacio,

The brown leather like smooth pouches, which I really like, came in four different sizes. The first was designed for the woodstock models HP-21 to HP-29, then a bigger pouch for the HP-67 was made and of course the biggest for the HP-97 desktop calculator with printer. The last brown brown pouch was delivered with the HP-41C calculator some years later.

The woodstock pouch is 14,4 cm : 8,5 cm = 1.69 which is not bad, but the HP-67 hits the point: 17,3 cm : 10,7 cm = 1.61 which is exactly the golden ratio!

Unlike the woodstock pouch, the HP-41C is conically shaped, thick at the display part, flat at the bottom and it is longer than the woodstock. It ratio is 20,0 cm : 10,0 cm = 2.00, well, integer ratios cannot compete. It doesn't meet the golden ratio, and I don't like the flat part, although it perfectly follows the shape of the calculator itself.

Then please forgive me, but I cannot resist to confess: I personally think the grey plastic box is definitely the most ugly case I've ever seen. It is not my taste and I don't know why HP choose this color and look like for its most valuable items like HP-45, HP-80 and others.

At least the brown leather like pouch was indeed a very good choice.

Bernhard

[Don Shepherd]

(06-08-2015 04:25 PM)PANAMATIK Wrote:  I personally think the grey plastic box is definitely the most ugly case I've ever seen.

I think HP realized that, if someone was going to spend $795 on a product like the HP-65, they better include a hard case capable of protecting that sizable investment when packed in a suitcase. As to color choice, why were/are PCs almost universally tan or beige? It's the safe, conservative choice. Imagine if PCs had been pink!

Oh, they called those Apples.

[sleibson]

The gray plastic, blow-molded cases used for the original calculators was a case type already in use at HP for small handheld instruments like logic probes and accessories. So the technology was in-house and engineers readily accepted them as par for the course.

[isanchez]

HI,

I agree grey plastic cases are not very nice. They look very "industrial". Also, the design is not optimum: I never know how to fit the charger properly, as there are a couple of ways to do it...also what to do with the pouch & manuals? What to do when you have some card pacs, like for the 65? Also the closing mechanism (flap) is very fragile...

Pouches are nice... and top quality. I find they have lasted until now very well...just with some dirtiness, but nothing that can't be solved with soap & water. Only the 41's pouches do often show the inner padding disintegrated...more soap & water!

I have not mentioned neither the Woodstock series nor the Coconuts because there is not misunderstanding regarding cases and pouches...I find the problem is in clarifying the classics.

Kind regards

Ignacio

[Don Shepherd]

(06-09-2015 07:49 AM)isanchez Wrote:  the design is not optimum: I never know how to fit the charger properly, as there are a couple of ways to do it...also what to do with the pouch & manuals? What to do when you have some card pacs, like for the 65? Also the closing mechanism (flap) is very fragile...

Well, this is how I organized my hard case. I think the design is perfect. The charger fits well in the space allocated for it. The prongs can be either on the right or the left, this is what I prefer. The black pouch is under the Owner's Handbook, and the pouch contains the Quick Reference Guide, as it should. One card pak fits in the space right under the calculator; I'm not sure if that space was designed for the battery pack or a card pac, but I use it for the card pac. The flap is just plastic, I can see where it might wear out after 40 years of heavy use, but mine is still fine (I don't think it had 40 years of hard use, however).

[d b]

Those hard cases were great for people who used the old calcs in a less-than-controled environment.
Better that the case see Don's 40 years of hard use than the Calc.
Some of us made our own padded hard cases, but by the time of the 41 with IL; the cases got to be small suit cases.

[isanchez]

Hi,
Don, yours is a nice configuration!...but I still have doubts, sorry: in my opinion, the value of the content is not in accordance at all with the design and characteristics of the "container"...the quality of the materials, the shape & configuration are not at that level. The most important issue, in my modest opinion is that the closing mechanism is not reliable at all... and the design is not oriented to protect the content...if it falls down probably it will open and spread it all around....but don't test it ;-D!! yours is a nice and well preserved item...(i am the proud owner of a similar one)

To finish, I also own an HP46...with a big case! and it is a joke! I can imagine someone with that case travelling around the world praying God not to be opened by accident. If you see inside, there is a container for paper rolls(?), and a couple of holder bands for two fuses!! Sorry, but this is nonsense....but I love all that stuff!!

It is always nice to exchange opinions with you all.

Kind regards

Ignacio

[Don Shepherd]

Thanks Ignacio.

It would be interesting to hear from those who actually bought and USED a 65, for example, in the day-to-day on-the-road scientific/engineering world, to see if its hard case stood up to use on the road, rather than my unit and case, a collectible, which probably never saw "hard" use.

Anyone have any interesting experiences with these units on the road in a real working environment?

Don

[John R]

(06-09-2015 07:49 AM)isanchez Wrote:  I have not mentioned neither the Woodstock series nor the Coconuts because there is not misunderstanding regarding cases and pouches...I find the problem is in clarifying the classics.

The Woodstock series cases do seen remarkably consistent. There is some variation in the interior shag material, but not enough variation to seem like a deliberate design modification -- it is probably just due to HP switching to a new supplier in the middle of a production run, or something like that. The Coconut case variations seem to be similar in character -- likely due to unintended and uncontrolled changes in raw materials, rather than to a deliberate modification.

The Spice cases are a different story. They are all very similar from the exterior, but exhibit some notable interior differences. Most of my Spice cases are lined with sheer black fabric that is now shedding black powder, presumably from the deterioration of padding or adhesive lining under this fabric. One of my Spice cases has intact padding under this fabric. And several of my Spice cases have shag lining similar to that used for the Woodstocks. I have been curious if this variant was specific to certain models or manufacture date, but I haven't found much information.