Customer Reviews

Hewlett Packard HP6S SLR Solar Scientific Calculator

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

This calculator could be one of the very best scientifics sold by ... but it is not. In fact, it is not best for the price, even.
The best scietific is the Hewlett Packard 32Sii but it costs near to 60$ U.S. which means they are not a `give to the kid to take to school' item. Being the `nerdly grand unki' I get to help all the school-agers with their math homework. I agree with the math teacher, here, that this is an `O.K.' calculator but given the present shipping-cost addition to this calculator I suggest one would be better off buying the algebraic entry Hewett Packard 30S or [even] the Texas Instruments 34 II.
Somehow the `RPN' or postfix entry system is thought of a `hard to learn'. The kids here all use it, there are several Java based RPN calculators on the WWW but this calculator doesn't have RPN. If it did I would buy several. Without RPN I cannot even highly recommend this well built fairly easy to use [but no kid likes the siff rubber keys, calculator.

It works, it has lots of functions, it's inexpensive. But it feels cheap. I bought this on short notice when I misplaced my beloved HP11C. I suppose I shouldn't expect much, but I am disappointed in

1. the shallow rubber keys. Hard to be sure if you've really pressed them. Too close together. Unsatisfying feel. (Harder plastic keys as on HP11C or 12C make operations much quicker.)

2. its solar power, which only works well under direct light. The calculator dims out two feet from my desk lamp. There's a button that's supposed to switch it between solar and battery, but it only seems to work half the time.

3. the flimsy cheap vinyl case/sleeve.

It works in standard order of operations, as opposed to reverse polish (e.g. the 11C).

I haven't tried comparably-priced calculators so can't recommend an alternative except that if you're going to use a calculator routinely it's worth investing in something that feels more substantial.

I bought 25 of these for my classes to use during exams. About 6 years later only 5 work. The displays of the rest have some non-functioning segments, ranging from 2 segments to all of them! It looks like they perform the calculation correctly but do not display the results properly. Changing the internal battery had no effect. They will have to tbe trashed.

Also, the buttons have to be pushed hard and rock while being pressed so the tactile feedback is variable and overdone. Worst calculator I have ever encountered for the feel of the keys.

Don't even consider buying this very old model.

My first calculator purchase was the HP35 which thirty years ago was around $400. I have bought HP ever since.

This is a sturdy, functional, reliable calculator at a price that doesn't affect the decision making process. Obviously HP is taking on the the mass market manufactures and some compromises are made. The worst feature is the adaption of the popular but "impractical" algebraic notation. Reverse Polish Notation (RPN)is just so much more efficient once you have mastered it.

As a secondary math teacher I would recommend the more expensive HP32II which uses RPN and is a gem to use. I have owned mine for 8 years and it is still going strong which justifies its high price. Most other brands would crumble or malfunction over this time span.

The cheaper HP 6S Solar is a good starter for a grade 9 student where the problem at that age level is not durability but theft. If the student progresses through the grades and shows any ability for mathematics, at some point the HP32SII is a sensible next move.

Hewltt Packard is the Rolls Royce among calculators (in part because of RPN). It ranks first and there really is no second competing choice.

I just bought three of these because mine was broke in the hands of my grandson. None of them worked, all three had missing digits in the display right out of the package. It is a discontinued model, these are leftovers which are junk.

I agree with several of the reviews that point out that the keyboard isn't the greatest.

But what I like about this calculator (solar version) is the relatively unique power system, consisting of 1 battery plus solar. In particular, I like the fact that the calculator never goes off, and the battery keeps it on without losing the current result, even when their is no ambient light at all to give it any solar power input. Given that mine is in total darkness much of the time (e.g., overnight at least), the battery life of the solar version seems to be totally astounding (e.g., five years or so) for a machine which is never turned off. Those particular properties may not be very important to everyone, but they happen to be very important to me, and I don't know of any calculator (especially one with hex capability) that matches it.

I also appreciate it's small size, which is somewhat unusual for a calculator with the functionality of this one.

Don't even look at this one, the keyboard is so ... how can I say it? un-human friendly! I did one calculation and threw it in a drawer were it still sits.