 Best Scientific Calculator Available Today |
| Review Date: September 5, 2007 |
| Reviewer: David Simpson, Laurel, MD USA |
This is a very nice high-quality scientific calculator from HP. The overall design and capabilities are similar to the HP 32SII (equation solver, unit conversions, etc.), but with several enhancements.
Like many recent HP models, this calculator can work in either RPN or algebraic mode, but I use only RPN. The keyboard layout has been well thought out, with most functions being quickly available directly from the keyboard and a few lesser-used functions available through menus. The keyboard has a traditional HP layout and colors, and the keys have a nice positive feel. A very thorough and well-written printed manual is included.
A new feature with this model is that each level in the four-level stack may hold a real number, complex number, or 2- or 3-element vector. Complex numbers may be entered very simply using the "i" key (or "theta" key for polar form); vectors are entered using square brackets. This design makes it very easy to manipulate complex numbers and vectors.
The calculator includes 30 kB of memory, which is enough for over 20,000 program steps. There are 26 main memory registers (A-Z), six statistical registers, and 800 more memory registers available through indirect addressing. Another new feature of this model is TWO indirect registers, (I) and (J).
A few cons: With previous HP calculators, there was a shortcut for entering exact powers of 10: for example, 10,000 could be entered as "E 4". For some reason HP has dropped that feature on the 35S, so you now have to enter "1 E 4". Not a major drawback, but kind of annoying since I used that shortcut a lot on previous models. Another nit is that the function to convert HMS to decimal hours is labeled HMS-> instead of ->H, which I haven't gotten used to yet.
Overall, the HP 35S is a very well-designed calculator, and I would not hesitate to recommend it as the best general-purpose scientific calculator available today. In fact, I bought three (for home, work, and school). |
RPN is standard
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| Review Date: August 29, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Douglas Dobbin, NM, USA |
| Tim C is as confused as Charles and is unable to spell my name even though it is printed in the review. I am holding an original HP-45 in my hand. If you type 2 Enter 3 Enter + you get the incorrect answer 6. Tim C's claim of an "error" in HP's implementation starting at the HP-32SII is completely false. I own an HP-32SII also. It works exactly the same way as the HP-45 which predates the HP-32SII by 18 years. I know what I am talking about. I own and use the HP-45, 55, 67, 29C, 41CV, 41CX, 48GX, 49G, 50G, 32SII, 42S, 28S, 50G, and 35s. I guess I need to repeat myself: ALL EARLY HP RPN CALCULATORS REQUIRE THAT YOU PRESS 'ENTER' ONLY ONCE. THE HP-35s FOLLOWS IN THIS TRADITION! Tim C should learn the history before he comments on it. Tim C should buy and use the product before he writes a review. The reviews by Charles and Tim C are misleading. Reviewer Charles has limited experience with RPN and has not explained it correctly. In general you should only have to press Enter once during a calculation with 2 numbers. This is true of the 48G also. Some calculators have a command line at the bottom that is separate from the x,y,z,t stack. For those you MAY press Enter twice but you don't have to. 2 Enter 3 + will work fine. On all the older RPN calculators you enter numbers directly into x and you should not press Enter twice. Again: 2 Enter 3 + will work fine. |
Great Calculator
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| Review Date: September 8, 2007 |
| Reviewer: A. D. Davis, Nashville, TN |
I've been using HP calculators for almost 20 years and am very happy with this one.
The keyboard layout and feel are both absolutely perfect in my opinion. It retains the HP tactile click without having stiff keys with long travel, which is my only problem with the new HP50g (otherwise awesome calculator). I have a big, nasty equation that I used to test my speed with my calculators. It took 30 sec. on my 33s, 25 sec. on my 50g, and 22 sec. on my 48G which I've been using for 10 years. The very first time I cranked it through my 35s, literally <2 minutes after inserting the batteries, it only took 23 sec. This calculator is optimized for cranking through big hairy equations. To me, that's what an engineering calculator is for! I have Mathcad, C++, Matlab, and Mathematica for all the stuff that graphing calculators do, but that's another story...
Pure RPN does take a little getting used to if one is used to the graphing models' RPL, but the 35s implementation is correct. My previous calculator was a 48G, so I found the 4 level stack to be slightly irritating. Took an hour or two to completely get over that when I bought my 33s a while back.
I actually like the tiny batteries instead of AAA because this cuts down the weight of the calculator. AAA batteries in the 35s, which is a very elegant little calculator, would've been insane. Also, what's the alternative? Feeding AAA batteries, 3 or 4 at a time, to a graphing calculator once a month?
Unless it dies on me, I think I'll be very happy with this calculator for a long time. |
Proper successor to 32SII
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| Review Date: May 8, 2008 |
| Reviewer: badgerW, Texas |
Background: I have a 48G, 32SII, 33S, 12C, and now 35S. I have also used the 32S. I have mostly used the 32SII, but have switched to the 12C to balance my checkbook.
The 35S is much better than the abortion that was the 33S. It gets back to the standard grid layout, easily readable labels, and overall arrangement of the "good old calculators" as exemplified in my mind by the 32SII. In this review, I would just like to nit-pick at various things in the hopes that HP engineers might read these little criticisms and maybe fix them in a later version. But here is my plea: don't make a new version just to fill some business need to have a new model every year. You can do that with the graphing calculator and the mainstream Algebraic models, but please don't mess with the hardcore science and engineering calculator models without good reason. Think about it: there is a reason why 32SII's are still going for $150+ in auctions. There is also a reason why you have been able to sell the 12C unchanged for so many years. Come to a design, "perfect" it and sell it year in and year out. I can see this happening with a 35SII which corrects the minor mistakes of the 35S. Or even just start making the 32SII again and sell it for $100 or whatever it needs to cost in order to make it to the previous quality standard. It is wonderful to see HP admit its mistakes with the 33S and take a step back to the heritage designs. Anyway, to the nit-picking:
1) I don't like having the shifted labels on opposite sides of the keys. The orange shifted functions are printed above the keys, while the blue shifted functions are printed on a beveled, lower part of the key itself. This makes it hard to scan for the function I need, as now I have to read 3 lines (top, main function, bottom) instead of just 2 like on the previous scientific and graphing designs like 32SII, 33S and 48 series (although it represents a crossover from the older 12C and similar designs). This is especially troublesome on the unit conversion shortcut keys. I am fine with having the alphabet labels on the beveled edge.
2) Arrow keys and menus (holdover complaint from 33S). While arrows are somewhat more intuitive, I prefer the 32SII style of being able to select every option with a single press instead of navigating with the arrows and then hitting "Enter". Mercifully, there are numeric shortcuts for most menu options, but this is not the case for verification of "Y" and "N" when selecting Clear -> All. Given the key layout, and given that there are usually 4 options displayed per screen, it would be nice to have each option mapped to the top row of keys, A, B, C, D instead of 1, 2, 3, 4, since it is harder to look from the screen down to the bottom of the calculator than to the row right below the screen. I understand that on multi-page menus the later options are numbered 5, 6, ... which makes for quicker selections for those who have the menus memorized, and I don't want to get rid of that; instead I suggest the A, B, C, D as an additional way of selecting a menu option.
3) I would like to have separate "STO" and "RCL" keys, and have both of them also labeled with a variable letter. One of my favorite shortcuts on the 32SII was hitting "STO" twice quickly, storing to the "G" variable and then being able to quickly recall it with a rocking two-finger motion on "RCL" and "STO". "G" and "H" were my most often-used variable labels, as they were so handy with quick manipulation of the "STO" and "RCL" buttons.
4) On a scientific calculator, I feel that having a dedicated ln and e^x is important, with the shifts respectively being log and 10^x. I understand and appreciate the logic of the placement of these 4 functions on the current 35S, but still they should be dedicated keys instead of shifted.
5) MODE doesn't deserve its own button. I would much rather have separate STO and RCL than have a non-shifted MODE. I also agree with the previous comment about having all the menu buttons in the same place. I suppose that having the BASE button within the main function area is a bonus, but it doesn't make up for the horrific implementation of base arithmetic.
6) Having to page over to display exponents? The previous 32SII, 33S etc. had it right: show the entire exponent, and if we want to see the entire mantissa then we will have to press "SHOW" (shifted on "ENTER" as always).
7) Lack of a printed manual. Apparently HP originally included a printed manual, but now (just received mine from Amazon today) they are just including a CD with the manual on it in PDF format, along with a very brief "Quick Start Guide". While I can obviously understand the reasoning here (added cost, waste of paper and packaging space, transportation costs, etc.) I would at least like the option to buy a printed manual on the HP website or something.
EDIT: Having used the 35S regularly for a couple of months now, I would like to add a couple of more gripes:
8) Changed decimal-point/fraction functioning. On the 32SII, if I wanted to enter "3/7" as a fraction on one line, I could key 3 . . 7 (decimal point twice between 3 and 7) and be done with it. On the 35S, it requires me to key 0 . 3 . 7 (in other words, in the "a b/c" formulation, the "a" is now required, and if "a" is 0 you can't get around it by hitting the decimal point twice). I can't see any benefit to this change.
9) Occasionally I will get "soft" or "missed" keypresses. This seems to be the case most often with the decimal point. E.g. I will enter the number 215.37, but it will show up on screen as 21537. But sometimes it will happen with a digit key or even the ENTER key. I have been using HP calculators for 10+ years now, and never had a problem with this using any other calculator, so I don't think it is my technique that is the problem. |
finally, HP makes an RPN calculator like the old days
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| Review Date: August 30, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Andrew, Brookline, MA |
| I used to have a 32SII but lost it many years ago. Since then, I've been looking for a replacement RPN calculator. While the HP33S is RPN, I'm not a big fan of the key configuration. Finally, HP releases a calculator more like its previous versions. If you're a fan of RPN, highly recommend this calculator. |
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