Home > Consumer Reviews > HP 10bII Financial Calculator

This new "II" version is a newer style of the older HP-10B, which will now go out of production. The new style has a smoother case and a more 21st century look, but the calculator and its functions are still the same.

I have used (and own) many of the available financial calculators on the market. I "recommend" the HP-10B to my university finance students, both graduate and undergraduate.

The HP 10B-II is a directly positioned competitor to the TI-BA-II+, but HP's entry is superior. The keys feel more solid, the machine itself "seems" better made. Having worn out more than one of each, my experience has been that the HP has more staying power. And, the TI-BA-II+ often requires more keystrokes to accomplish the same tasks (i.e., NPV calculations). ...

The HP 10BII has a well written manual, including examples on using the function. HP has the manual available on-line on their website for the inevitable time that the user needs it and has lost the original.

While there are cheaper financial calculators, it seems that this particular level is the minimum I would recommend to professionals or students. Less expensive versions, while saving a few dollars, miss important features. As a general rule of thumb, if the calculator can perform the "IRR" function, as this can, it will be able to handle pretty much any calculation into which the finance student, professonal, or banker will run. Lesser machines do not have this function.

Ironically, even larger fancier calculators, such as the venerable HP-12C, are in my estimation inferior as well. The 12C uses RPN logic which, while saving even more keystrokes, is simply foreign to most students. More importantly, some functions, such as the Time Value of Money functions, on the 12C require interpretation. On the 12C, for example, solving for the number of periods in an annuity, the value gets rounded UP to the next integer.

Strongly recommended as the best value in inexpensive financial calculators.

This calculator is now the most popular among Undergraduate Business Programs. And it is somewhat sufficient to solve textbook problems in introduction to accounting and finance. Functions can be easily explained to those classes. However, once you get into the real finance and investments your professor will want you to purchase the HP 12C instead. That one will be able to solve the more advanced and complex problems and all that more accurately. Once you move on to grad school there is no other option but the HP 12C - or an equivalent calculator by another manufacturer. And you will need that more advanced one at work, too - for all entry level analyst positions in finance and accounting. Unless you have already decided that the pre-requisites in finance and accounting will be the only time when you need a financial calculator, there is really no use to get accustomed to the HP 10B. You might as well purchase the more advanced calculator immediately (and save some money) although it is a little more difficult to use.

To be certain, this is a good calculator, and it is a decent value at this price, but not even HP would say it's the best ever.

I'd much rather be purchasing the HP 17BII - with it's expanded functions, but this will certainly do 95% or more of the financial functions I need it to do. The 17BII has some added features which admittedly are not requirements (Date, Time, Appointment) but I do strongly prefer the menu options on the 17BII and the programming function.

To address a couple concerns mentioned here:

1. Yes, the calculator will round .275 to .28 -- if you have it set to display only two digits right of the decimal. That's what it should do. You can, however, easily set the display to three digits or whatever degree of significant digits you wish.

2. I have checked interest rate calculations and all I ahve done work out fine. Perhaps the problem mentioned here has been addressed.

The 12C is a better, more capable calculator. But the 12C also requires one to learn RPN. Many people prefer not to use RPN. On the 10BII you can set it to work with "standard" data entry or RPN -- your choice.

The 19BII is also a better calculator, but it's large with a fold-out keypad (it opens like a book, standard looking calculator on the right, alphabetical keys on the left). It was also more expensive - close to $150 many years ago when I got one. Again, this is far more than people really need, which is probably why you can't find it on the HP website any longer.

Unfortunately, I can't find the 17BII on the HP website either. It appears that both the HP 17BII and the 19BII have been discontinued. I really found the 17BII to be the best in function and price combination.

As for quality, I think the reviews here are right. My old HPs are still going strong, but one 17BII I bought a year ago seemed light and less sturdy. Sure enough, it died recently, which is why I conducted a search for a replacement. (There are some refurbished ones availableso, but even that great calculator isn't worth that price.

So I've reluctantly purchased the 10BII. It feels light and cheap, but we'll see how it holds up. It uses two wafer-thin 1025 batteries v. three button batteries of the 17BII, so I'll change more frequently.

In summary, this is a strong, capable calculator, and probably one of your best bets at this point. It will almost certainly perform what you need it to do. Read the very user friendly instruction guide if in doubt. However, there are better options out there that can do even more if you're willing to learn a more complicated system (12C) or are fortunate enough to find the 17BII and pay the higher price.

Good luck.

Twelve years ago, despite my professors' recommendations for the Texas Instruments models, I chose the HP 10B because of its heft, feel, functionality and look, among other things. It made coursework at the Big Ten business school I attended more difficult because most labs and homework were written for T.I. calculator keys. (Hence, the prof's recommendation.)
I toughed it out because I did not have a lot of money, and realized the impracticality of buying a second calculator, the one I wanted to take with me into "Corporate America."
My old HP 10B lasted 12 years with only several battery changes, and served me very well. Last autumn, however, my young English Setter consumed half of it, and chewed the other half to hell while I was out getting a bottle of wine for dinner. C'est la vie.
I decided to give the new HP 10B II a shot, despite its light, cheap feel. I was familiar with it, an learned to trust the brand.
What a disappointment. Unresponsive keys, a poor display and a voracious appetite for the new type of batteries it uses--which are different than the previous model.
The love affair is over! I will now look elsewhere, and learn to use a different brand.

"Wholly Disappointed in Michigan"

P.s. - The new HP LaserJet color printer I just purchased is very disappointing too. Way to go Carly Fiorini!

I bought this calculator because I wanted a 12 digit display, comma separators for multiples of a thousand, and some standard financial functions, all in a form small enough to slip in a jacket pocket. I didn't find any other brand offering a calculator with these features and I thought that HP had a good reputation.

I was very dissappointed. The keys required a lot of pressure to work and I often had to redo calculations because I had keyed too fast and one or more keys hadn't registered.

Then after a year the screen stopped working properly. I was actually pleased about this because it meant that I could replace the calculator without feeling guilty!

I'm afraid I would not recommend it to anyone.