Customer Reviews

HP 17BII Financial Calculator

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the best features of this calculator is that the calculations (i.e. present value/future value calculations and basic mortgage payment calculations)are menu driven using a series of buttons at the top of the calculator. You simply input the data per the associated input button. In addition, this calculator is a lot easier to use than the 12B which is the standard in the leasing industry. The 17B version allows you to input your data in a straight forward fashion rather than the "reverse" data input method of the 12C. HP also did a good job with the instructional booklet you receive with the calculator. The booklet gives you numerous sample problems and does a good job of highlighting the capabilities of the calculator in an easy to understand format without all the technical jargon. I wouldn't be without this calculator.

Look no further. The classic HP workhorse is a legend for good reason. This is the best financial calculator available. It is durable, easy to use, and highly versatile. Many HP calc lovers prefer the 12C to this because of size. Fair enough, but if you don't have the time or care to learn RPN then the 17BII is your ticket as it allows either RPN or algabraic entry.

The programmable solver is an awesome tool as it saves a ton of time for calcs outside of the 250 preprogrammed. Also, the feel of the push button keys are superior to other brands. There is no doubt an entry took place. Excellent battery life. Sure it is a little pricey compared to other financial calculators but you will never need another. This baby is built like a '56 Buick and will probably outlast you. If you are searching for a financial calculator then you understand the importance of value over low cost. This is the one.

This calculator will never need to be replaced. It is a typical HP product - fantastic tools, durable, entirely customer focused.

The HP-17ii is the most intuitively clear financial calculator I have ever seen or used.

I have been teaching finance for undergraduate and graduate students for a number of years. This calculator, although expensive, is the best of the bunch. I have used HP-12C and HP-18, a wide variety of (poorly constructed) TI calculators, but I have not found a more apt, easy to use, intuitive calculator than the HP-17ii. My graduate students find it very useful and easy to use. For them the RPN is not a problem.

While the 12C is considered the "industry standard", it is very difficult to use; it is an old platform and slow. The [$] price difference is well worth it. Although the HP-17ii is widely used in the investment business, it cannot be used on the AIMR administered CFA exams. This is a consideration.

The only problem I have is the price; it is not entirely possible to ask undergraduate students at a public institution to fork out [$]. In my undergraduate classes I use the HP-10.

If you are a business student or finance professional, the HP 17BII is the financial calculator to purchase. It provides the necessary functionality (e.g. solves the appropriate kinds of time value of money & IRR problems, provides memory, etc.), but what I really find useful is "intuitive" data entry in solving these problems relative to the HP 12C (which I also own). For Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) candidates, it is also the "top-of-the-line" HP model since the more advanced versions are programmable, which is disallowed by the AIMR during testing.

I have used the HP17BII for about 6 years now. I also own a 19B. I really like the 17BII for all of its functionality. It got me thru undergrad (Wayne State U in Detroit) and grad school and became the recommended calculator at my school (Clark Atlanta U) for all grad and undergrad students. Unlike some of the lesser priced machines, the 17BII will still be functional when you are in the work force doing a complex Black-Scholes calculation. I really believe that it is the absolute best financial calculator out there followed by the 19B, 10B, 12C and then the BAII plus.

This calculator made my life a whole lot easier in my accounting and finance classes. The time value of money, cash flow, and bond calculations are done by the calculator very effectively. It takes time to learn how to do the calculations, but the booklet has great examples on how to. For management graduate students this is a requirement to have, but I noticed none other of my fellow undergraduates have this calculator nor have even heard of it. To do the time value of money and other related calculations by hand takes time and is difficult while this caculator can do it in seconds. It was a huge advantage to have this. A great tool for any accounting or finance major during college and after graduation.

Nothing else even comes close. None of that annoying 5 minute wait like the 12c while you stare at a screen that says "running". Also, the 17b2+ has been visually cheapened (cheap plastic, rather than the metal-like cover). This is the banking gold standard. Easy to use and very intuitive.

The 17BII is an extremely useful calculator for anyone in the financial services industry, in any business field who needs some heavy math functionality, and it is simple enough for anyone else to use if they just want to understand how their mortgage or car payment is derived. It is extremely durable - I have had the same calculator for many, many years and have dropped it too many times to count (and before that my HP 10B was just as durable).

The calculator, of course, has all the basic math functions, including logarithmic calculations, and a simple to use memory store/recall setup. Most of the powerful functions are accessed through the simple "softkey" on-screen menu/submenu system where the function of the buttons at the top changes depending on what you are trying to calculate. These features include a full "time value of money" complement including NPV, FV, IRR, required periodic payment (i.e. for mortgage/car payments), and a full bond price/yield/coupon function.

The 17BII is also programmable and don't underestimate this. A user can create his own formula (e.g. an involved formula or a series of several calculations done in a row and done on a regular basis), create softkeys for the formula, and then access this formula the same way the other formulas like time value of money are accessed. As an example, I took the very lengthy Black-Sholes option pricing equation, programmed it as a formula, and now options pricing throught the HP takes seconds.

The 17BII is not for everyone. If you really must have all the bells and whistles including scientific formulas and PDA functionality, go with the 19BII - too clunky for my tastes. If you just want a simple financial calculator to be able to talk intelligently with your mortgage broker or car salesman about financing, get the 10BII.

Again, for anyone in the financial services industry, for mainstream business application or for the motivated/curious non-business person, the 17BII is it.

I have used my 17BII since 1992, and it has withstood being dropped, carried in a backpack with tons of accounting texts, stuffed into overfull briefcases and every other sort of indignity imaginable with the exception of being dropped into water. Most of its life, I have not had the protective slipcover to protect it. I generally use only the present value functions and the amortization functions.

My Handspring Visor recently pushed this calculator out of my shirt pocket after 9 years. If you want a financial calculator, this is the way to go, no question. Reliable and very intuitive. The HP-12C is not even in the same league as this calculator for ease of use. The menu-driven interface makes this evry easy to get up to speed on.

This calculator also has some useful alarm/date functions that can be used as a rudimentary planner. You can also program equations and solve for a variety of variables that you can define yourself. This is very useful for on-the-fly "what if" calculations.