HP 15C Financial Calculator - Collector's Edition

I had one of these when they were originally launched, back in the early 1980s and loved it. I used it for my A’Levels and degree but sadly had it stolen. By then it was no longer available on the market. When I saw that a Collector’s Edition was available I was so excited.I was a little concerned that Amazon has it described as a Financial calculator but after looking carefully at the images and sending off a quick question it was confirmed that it was the 15c Scientific calculator so I had to buy it.The build quality is superb, the keys are so nice to use, the lcd is crisp and clear and the landscape, Voyager, format is such a joy to use. It also comes with a full and comprehensive manual, something of a rarity today.It might seem expensive for a scientific calculator but in fact it is worth every penny. It is a powerful scientific calculator with programming capability. Matrices, polar and stats are all available. And the RPN logic is so powerful and, once you’re used to it, is so intuitive. Since the calculator no longer has the sapphire on silicon NUT processor, the battery life might not be measured in decades but it will still be impressive.

I always wanted one of these and I am not disappointed with this re-release. It is much faster than the original version and it comes with a reprint of the original manual and a (fake) leather pouch. All in all a good buy!

I was so excited to see the release of this calculator. For years I've had a HP12c but always wanted to recapture my days in the engineering faculty with a Scientific HP.If you don't need alphanumerics this is probably one of the most powerful rpn calculators out there. The keys have a great tactile feel and the pause bug that plagued the earlier release is gone. There is a comprehensive manual similar to the original 80s manual and it comes with a soft leather slip case. All in a pretty display box. Very nice.The keys are also very well attached. Older HP calculators have key rattle when you shake them. Not the Collector's edition. It feels firm and well made.BUTThere is key bounce.Not very often ... but enough to make it unreliable. I usually look at the keys while typing and not at the display. OK if you're slow. But not OK if you are entering a fast sting of statistical data. It's easy to miss one or two bounces which mess up the entire calculation without you even realising it.Bounce seems to occur more when you don't release a key fully but keep light pressure on it.I initially thought there was a deep menu that contained an adjustment for bounce but that is only found in a 3rd party calculator called the PX15.If you're like me and just looking for nostalgia, you may be happy with this HP15c as it is. But if you're an engineer designing a bridge that people's lives depend on you may want to look at the Swiss Micros DM15L instead.There is however hope. Under the battery cover is a port for updating firmware. Indeed there is a company on the Internet that is offering to burn a modified firmware update of your choice (de-bounce is specifically mentioned) You can buy a modded 15c from them or send yours in to them BUT you will void your warranty. You choose.So, the HP15c Collector's edition is almost perfect ... but not.

The keybounce problem makes this device risky for critical calculations. Unfortunately although there's supposed to be a firmware fix, you need to purchase a programming cable to apply it. This isn't available in the UK and costs nearly £40 ordered from overseas.I was going to return it, but as I said, it is beautifully made and I've decided to order the cable and update the firmware, because the calculator itself is very nice. It's much faster than the original and the keys have that lovely click you associate with vintage hp calculators.EDIT: The firmware update completely resolved the keybounce issue. You have to therefore budget for the programming cable when purchasing this device. But you do then get the benefit of being able to copy programs to and from a PC with the cable which is a very useful feature. Also the firmware update fixes the HP16C bug so probably worth the extra money