HP 17BII+ Financial Calculator

First of all let me say that I owned an HP 19BII+ for over 16 years, what a great financial calculator, I will miss it. I have to say that the 17BII+ is also a great product, very well built, just as you expect from HP, I really do not understand earlier complaints about lower quality issues. I gave it 4 stars just because the 17 does not have the valuable unit conversion that the 19B had, otherwise it gets the job done.

I have been looking for a replacement for my 12c for a long time. The 17BII+ is far easier to use and has a much improved display. I one feature it lacks that I would like is a USB port for use in uploading tables and downloading formulas.
For the price it is a good deal.

If I had to buy a financial calculator again, I would get the classic 12c. I needed the calculator for MBA accounting classes and found the 17BII+ adequate. I would have rather bought the 12c for less money. As a cosmetic note, the slightly curved sides of the calculator annoy me.

Can't work without RPN Love Hewlatt Packard products. sometimes the first number punched doesn't want to play

Love it. Works really well. No problems with the keys. It has the same key feel as the 12b.

I owned an HP 17B II for 18 years (yes, one calculator actually lasted that long!) and I loved it. It did everything I needed it to do, the buttons and display all worked great, and I noticed that it was built in Singapore. Well, the old thing finally died earlier this year and I bought a new HP 17 BII+, which I noticed was made in China. What a disaster! Half the time when I push the buttons, the machine doesn't register anything! That can be a major problem when working with a calculator, because you have to wonder all the time whether the machine actually has all the correct data inputs. I hate this calculator, but I still love the functionality of the HP 17B II. I can't wait for HP to come out with a new version, hopefully built somewhere that cares about quality! I'm really disappointed in HP for charging $80 for a calculator that isn't flawlessly made.

One of the best and most reliable products from HP. I had the newest version (2007) of the HP 17BII+ shipped to me. It's a great calculator, so far so good. Instructions and calculations are easy and simple to do. You will probably need to follow a textbook, but calculations are pretty well-explained in the manual, with a few examples too.

It has two lines of data input. Answers still remain on your screen even if you switch off the calculator, until you manually run another calculation or clear the screen. I use this calculator for statistics such as to find the mean, correlation coefficient and linear estimates, financial calculations such as finding the time value of money, interest, bond valuation, depreciation and cash flows, and regular math stuff. You can even use it for business-related queries, such as business percentages and markup, and input equations into the memory list. You can also do a few currency exchange calculations. Even making changes to a list that you already entered is simple.

It's light-weight, and easy to take around in the handy case. It comes with a pair of batteries, which are easily installed when you open the pack. It also has the clock option, where you can adjust for the current time and date, as well as set appointments. A total of 28K memory to store data, lists and equations. You can also print information using the HP 82240 Infrared printer.

Amazon has proved themselves again with dependable and timely shipping. Thank you.

I had gone the TI route with the TIBAII+ which is an easy to use calculator (and i still recommend it for students). I had resisted the hp12c b/c of its speed overall and the non-intuitive interface. This 17bII+ version gives you a fast and modern calculator.

However, i did not like the old one which looked plasticy and flimsy. The silver version is very smooth looking (almost retro) and has the hp12c keys!!! I am finally happy with it. becareful though, amazon had originally sent me the older version rather than the silver one. I had to post a return item thing and they shipped out a new one immediately. I love amazon's service!!

Anyway, this one is not flimsy and can definitely be used at meetings.

I am using a financial calculator for the first time, so I can't compare it with previous models. The instruction book is pretty straight-foward with good examples, and the menus are pretty logical. In contrast with other reviews that I've read on Amazon, I have had no technical difficulties (sticking buttons, batteries etc.). So far I like it.

This is currently the finest HP business and general purpose calculator made. The silver version corrects the durability issues of the prior brown and gold version.

The keypad and enclosure have been dramatically improved and is on par or better than the original "Pioneer" HP 17bii.

The calculator is far better now than the 12c. The key feature is the HP Solve application that allows for algebraic entry of equations and solving for any arbitrary variable. Calculations are fast and the menu system allows for straightforward entry of variables without having to "R/S" programs.

The 17bii+ silver version now has all the bases covered in regards to functionality, usability and durability.

Once a proud owner of a 19BII this is about as close as you get as a replacement. It is not worth the money. The buttons work poorly so you must exercise extreme care when keyboarding or you will have input errors. Today the display cracked not due to abuse but the clasp for the case hits right where the display broke. HP will not replace this calculator because they consider this abuse or customer damage versus a poorly thought out design. I am going to try TI after this disappointment.

Following, is the letter that I sent to HP headquarters regarding my experience with the HP 17BII:

Dear Sirs, I am writing this email with the spirit of a loyal customer of 15 years. Last month, during a business trip, my financial calculator 19 B II broke. I was desperate because I had become so used to work with it. I browsed the HP web site to learn which was the most sophisticated financial calculator these days, and I learned about the 17 B II. I asked a friend to bring it to me from the US and so she did. I have been using it for 3 weeks, and only with a spirit of loyalty to you, must say that I find this calculator dramatically inferior to those HP calculators that I bought 15, even 20 years ago, both financial calculators and scientific calculators. The 17 B II is not only inferior in the amount and type of operations that can perform compared to the 19 B II, but is also inferior, in it`s raw materials. The key for number 3, must be pressed with so much strength as if I was drilling for oil in order to make it appear in the screen. Finally, this calculator takes literally
3 seconds in calculating the result of 2 X 2. I have been considering to search for the HP scientific calculator that I had back in college, 15 years ago, and program in it, the financial formulas that I need today. Again, I am not saying this with a bad mood or just for the sake of complaining, but rather because if I worked in the company, I would like to have this kind of feedback. Best regards, Constancio.

I have used HP's 17BII calculator for almost 10 years. When I saw the upgraded version of this calculator I thought I must have it. It will be a great thing to have since HP produces excellent products and after 10 years of continuous service my previous calculator could be licensed. So I sold my old 17BII calculator and bought this upgraded model. Upgraded? Well, it only has one new function: Currency Exchange, which is not a major feature since anyone can calculate currency exchange without the help of this function. If HP created this new function thinking about travelers they were wrong. Who would carry a bulky calculator in order to calculate currency exchange? However, there are other upgrades in its design that are plausible and that make it a fair deal, especially if your old calculator is a little worn out. The thing that I dislike about this shift is that I have used this calculator for 14 months and now the sum key (+) does not work. That is right, 14 months and this calculator is not able to perform a basic operation. I called HP and they do not have any official representation in my country so I went to an unauthorized dealer that says that this can be fixed by changing the keyboard matrix, a USD70 deal. What a deal!!! I can buy a new calculator for USD80 or fix mine for USD70. Guess what? I am buying back the 17BII version and forgetting the Currency Exchange feature. I miss the times when HP manufactured durable goods and not disposable ones.

I need to use a financial calculator periodically, but not on a daily basis. That means I need a calculator that is easy to learn and use. Over the years I have had 3 HP-12C's (and they all still work great, and the original is still the best built calculator I have ever had). Still, I found that I would forget how to use functions I did not often use. I also had an HP 10B (first generation) that I loved until I gave it to my wife.
Needing to replace the 10B, I tried a Texas Instruments TI-BA II plus. Big mistake. While the calculator had a sturdy feel, the buttons were squishy and I found that I (or the calculator) was making data entry errors. Also, trying to go back and forth between the TI and the HP-12C's was driving me crazy because they were just enough different in their ways of doing things to throw me off.
So I broke down and went for the 17Bii Plus. It is very lightweight -- and feels a bit too insubstantial, However it sits firmly on a desktop to allow one hand data entry. The keys feel solid (far better than the keys on the TI-35) and data entry is once again easy and error free for me. As a two line calculator, most financial functions are performed by use of menus. I love it! It makes those functions far more intuitive and easy to remember. I still find that I need to refer to the manual the first time I want to do a particular calculation. But I also see that once I have done a function once there will be much less running to the manual to re-learn how to do a calculation I have not needed in a while. I like it so much that if not for the cost I would replace my beloved HP12-C's.
Like the HP-12Cs it is programmable. But unlike the HP-12C, where I could never learn to program on it, programming a calculation that I am doing over and over is simple enough on the 17Bii that I could see myself doing it; and with the two line display, once you have programmed a calculation it is amazingly easy to re-use. Hard to explain, but easy to do.
One final comment. HP calculator reviews by users on line are full of criticisms from old HP users, who claim that the new HP calculators are cheaply made, not as substantial as the old models, etc. There is no doubt that the build standards of HP calculators have changed over time and that on practically any model there is an older version that was heavier, more solid, had a better feel. But it is pointless to compare the HP calculators of today to older models. If HP's current business calculators (12-C platinum edition and 17Bii+) are compared to other popular financial calculators currently made, the HPs are still the best by far, particularly for error free data entry. And truth be told, the HP-17Bii+ is much faster and easier to use by far for the casual user than the old HPs.

This calculator is very cheaply done and manufactured. The buttons click but do not work all the time, leading to frequent mistakes. Eventually, my calculator went down after six months of light usage. A very poor purchase!!!

This new model, supposedly "improved" is JUNK. I have the 17B II and just compared it with my wife's 17B II "+" just bought here for her real estate course.
Save yourself grief and and try to find the old model instead. Even if it costs more money (there is a reason...).
The quality of the HP 17BII calculator is GONE. Shame on HP.

If you consider your calculator to be a critical worktool, then you need RELIABILITY above all else. The key-strokes on this calculator are UNRELIABLE. And that makes everything else about this calculator irrelevant. The prior version is far more reliable.

I just started in commercial real estate and was advised to get an HP 10BII. Well being the previous engineer(and tech geek) I had to get the upgraded model, the 17BII+. It has all the same functions as the 10BII plus about 150 other functions according to the specs and it can solve algebraic equations, which is nice for repetitive equations with different variables to input. The sequence of numbers is almost the same as the 10bII as well. And since the first time I used it was in a week long commercial class where all they used was the 10BII I was able to keep up just fine.

I read the reviews of some people pushing a button and it not registering. I also have the 10BII where that has happened a few times. It has happened once that I recall with the 17BII as well. What I can surmise is that the HP's buttons have a greater "resistance" to input the numbers and in flying through calculations we might tend to glance over the button rather than push it distinctly. The one advantage with the 17BII is it has softer buttons with less "resistance" to push them so it seems to happen less.

I love all the storage functions as well. It also does not use Reverse Polish notation as standard, but you can choose to switch it to RPN mode if you choose. But it has about every financial and business function you could ask for. But most of the functions can be accessed through the top six buttons which drive a menu on the display. I really like the menu based functions rather than having them integrated as 2nd and 3rd tier functions on the other buttons.

It is a little pricey compared to the 10BII. But it is worth it to me. The 10BII can do probably 97% of everything you will always need. The layout, feel of it and extra functions were worth it to me.

The calculator is very easy to use and is much faster than my HP 12C. Unfortunately the two CR2032 batteries died within one month of light use. This is not an isolated incident, many of my classmates are having the same problem. Unless you carry spare batteries around, I would suggest you use any calculator than this one.

Do not buy this calculator unless you do not care how "cheap" it looks like after opening up the box where it comes!

After buying my 17BII+ I unfortunately realized that the gray ruber on the right side a "small hole".
After passing my finger 2 times over this surface defect the rubber began to seriously get rid of the calculator making its appearance horrible.

I swear, it is the last time I buy HP.
As long as they do not understand that not only the functions but also finishing details are important I prefer to buy one of the other many options available on the market!!

I liked the look of the calculator, which is why I bought it in the first place. But I have two big complaints. First, when in RPN mode, you obviously use the Input button a lot. Unlike the 12-C, 10-B, 19-B and other models, the Input button isn't oversized, and it's location is obscure. So, you have to take a split second each time to remember where it is. I could probably get over this problem over time, but the second problem is a deal-killer. The biggest problem I have is that buttons regularly fail. You're in the middle of a calculation and you'll miss a number or function. What ends up happening is that you have to look at the keys and then at the screen to ensure that your entries are accurate. Takes way too much time and interrupts the process. I've read other negative reviews of this product and didn't believe that HP could put out a product that didn't work. But believe it, this calculator will cause you nothing but frustration. I'm going back to my old 12-C.

Although this calculator has a powerful equation solver, it is a little cumbersome to use. I prefer 12CP for quick calculations, 50g for more complex jobs. And for any other situations where I have access to computer, I rather use Excel.

Bought this one since I lost my 17BII and am hugely DISAPPOINTED! Not only is the feel no longer solid, but the KEYS DON'T REGISTER THE ENTRY many times which means you have to continuously double check that the number was entered. UNACCEPTABLE! Reminds me of the TI scientific calculators that I bought in the early 1980's. Same problem and I'm sure this calculator will wind up in the same place. the Trash!!

it is recommended, i would like to have a hypothesis testing as well but i'm happy.
easy to use. friendly in-spite the small display.

My briefcase full of calculators came missing when I moved recently. It contained my trusty HP19 financial calculator that I needed to replace. I read all the Amazon comments, downloaded manuals, and finally decided between the HP12C and the HP17B++. I chose the HP17B++ because of the ease in programming and evaluating equations other than those built in. SOLVE is very powerful for this purpose.

I've had no problems with the keys that so many others have reported. In fact, the most alarming comment was that it doesn't use proper algebraic precedence of add, subtract, multiply and divide. This is NO problem once it is recognized that the calculator uses a stack similar to RPN logic of other HP calculators. i.e. enter a number, enter an operator, enter a second number, then when the next operator or equal sign is entered , the first and second number are evaluated. The display clearly shows what is happening. Of course, use of parentheses will modify the order of calculation when a long string of numbers and operators are entered.

This financial calculator is powerful and quick. It will handle most financial calculations. Those that are too complicated for this calculator should be computed on a spreadsheet, such as EXCEL or programmed in an appropriate computer language.

Excellent Calculator, easy to use with all basic commercial and financial calculations.

As a commercial real estate appraiser, I typically use the financial software available on my desktop or laptop computers. So I use the HP 17bII for the quick analysis. I prefer this unit over the 12C because it allows the use of either Reverse Polish Notation or algebraic data entry. As with all HP handhelds, this unit is well constructed and easy to use. The 28K memory is more than adequate.

This calculator is fast, very easy to use, and knows exactly what you want to do, and can do it faster than any other method.

BAD QUALITY, BAD FEELING, TRY TO BUY A USED 17Bii OLD VERSION.

While I agree that the upgraded model is not that impressive, the overall calculator is by far the best for finance professionals. Whether you're an investment banker, corporate finance, or real estate professional this is the industry standard.

As expected the HP17 B11+ is perhaps the best financial calculator available on the market

It has fulfilled my expectations, although I have not used all of the capabilities.

The HP17 is a good calculator but does not have a feature set or build quality to not match the price point. Buy HP RPN only if you can't live without it.

My biggest issue with the 17BII+ is the one that apparently plagues other users as well. My first and sometimes second keystroke doesn't always register. It happens randomly and is a major problem for me. I've gone through four of these calculators and three of the four had the same problem. I kept returning them until I got one that works.

It's unfortunate. A calculator that can't calculate is useless. The company has/had a great reputation. They really should get their act together.

I bought the HP 17BII+ to replace and to upgrade my HP 19bII folding calculator. And for the money I spent (about the same, 12 years later), I'm a little disappointed. Going down from 4 lines of display, to 2 lines of display, the buttons feeling cheaper and the removal of unit conversion for measurements. But on the plus side, everything else seems to be the same and the battery cover doesn't look like it is going to fly off.

After my HP 17bII was knocked off a counter and killed the screen I looked to replace it. I soon found the 17bII+ and ordered from Amazon. After reading some of the reviews I was a little concerned but mine works just fine. It does not convey the same feel of quality as earlier HPs. It just seems lighter and less solid. The keys have good feel but don't match the feel of the many earlier HPs I have owned. However, it gets the job done, and may last as long as the earlier models, but if you are looking for the HP "feel" you may be disappointed. The case however is a great improvement over the 17bII.

I've not owned a financial calculator so I read a lot of the reviews on major brands / models before I decided to spend north of $90 (incl tax) to get the HP 17bII+. After reading reviews on this model, my biggest concern was the buttons not registering at times. Now that I have the calculator in hand my concerns have been substantiated. On mine, the number 2 button does not register most of the time, which is totally unacceptable. This is going back first thing tomorrow as I can't justify such a hefty price tag for a piece of garbage that won't register numbers. Although I'd like to consider the HP12C Platinum, I'm too annoyed to buy another HP, so I'll probably end up just getting the TI BAII+ for half the price.

This may be the 10th HP I've had..they are ALL excellent...the 17BII is by far and away the easiest, simplest to use.

This is an excellent investment. I purchased it to use it in one of my MBA course. It is easy to use and the built-in functions help me get through my course very smoothly. I will be using it for my next course, and later in real world if it will last that long. I would recommend it to any college student or professinal who's background is Finance.

I bought an HP 17bii+ today and I'll be returning it tomorrow. For the purposes of this review, I'm comparing the HP 17bii+ to my newest version of the HP 12c Platinum.

I prefer the smaller, more tactile buttons of the 12cP over the larger, but still firm, buttons of the 17bii+. I prefer the wide aspect of the 12cP over the long version of the 17bii+. It seems to be easier to use RPN with the 12cP with the larger Enter key in the center over the Enter key at the bottom of the 17bii+.

Using the menu's may seem more "intuitive", but tiresome and cumbersome to getting results done quickly. I'm as much of a "tech-geek" as the next guy, but for quick calculations, faster and easier is better. The 12cP fits this bill for me perfectly.

For the price ($99 at Office Depot), it over-complicates the simple problem solving that the 12cP does much more easily. Both offer ALG & RPN modes of data entry and both offer almost the same processing speed (as far as I can tell).

I purchased this calculator for an MBA program. The functions are diverse and appropriate. Like other HPs I have owned in the past, the menu is nested and takes some time to learn. Solve function allows you to enter custom equations and solve for any unknown given the other parameters. The unit is not as solid as prior HPs but is still leaps ahead of comparable TI units.

Without a doubt, you cannot get a better calculator. It's very intuitive and easy to use. You just have to remember to hit the clear all button a lot. Other than that, I find it much easier to use, with the menus, than finding buttons on the 12c's. Well worth the extra price.

--After a little longer trial I still experienced many keystrokes not registering - I am returning the unit and looking for a 17bii (not the "+")
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--As an update, you can tell from my below review I was upset about the keystrokes not registering - I do however, very much like the new design of this calculator, so I have decided to give it a little longer trial period. The "3" key was a problem and after repeatedly pressing it I noticed I couldn't get it to not register again, so I am hoping that repeated use may help the problem. I will give an update on the outcome.
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I have had this unit for 5 days - I read the other reviews about keystrokes not registering and was hoping this problem was fixed - it has happened to me many times already. This is a huge problem when you are using the calculator for your job when clients depend on you. If you don't catch the mistake that results from a non-registering keystroke it can be costly. This is a beautiful calculator, too bad they did such a poor job with the keys. I own a 17bII and bought this as a second unit to carry with me when away from the office. I will be returning the 17bII+ and looking for a used 17bII to replace it. One would think the newer model would be an improvement, not the case here.

Bought 17B2+ as replacement for my old 17B2. There may be new features in the 17B2+, but all I really wanted was the old features. The most important feature I wanted was for the calculator to actually work.

The 17B2+ had clunky keys, which I didn't like but I could live with.

The 17B2+ also had the annoying habit of ignoring the first keystroke I input. Maybe they have a "sleep" function for powersaving if the calculator isn't used for a period. If so, somebody screwed up in the implementation. But, I can live with this too.

Now, after about a year, the calculator is resetting every other day, so I have to re-program all my Solver functions (yes, I did change the batteries....).

HP calculators were well made, from the design right through to product quality. That was then.....

Time to go back to the store and yell until I get my money back.

The command layout for this calculator flows very naturally. It was a welcome relief from unnecessarily complex commands, and Polish notation. Well worth the few extra dollars. It goes above and beyond any other financial calculator by-far.

We have been very pleased with the ease of use for the HP 17B. It is a great addition to our office. We are very happy that we bought it and highly recommend it to anyone in the financial field of work.

My tried and true 5 year old 17BII was stolen recently and I had to replace it. I was surprised to find that HP no longer offered it for sale (big mistake; never take a classic of the market). As the new 17BII+ was my only option (absent tapping the used market) I gave it a shot. At first, the features made it look like an upgrade (currency converter, etc.) however, once I started using it I noticed one very major flaw: the new buttons simply do not work. They stick/don't connect resulting in approximately 20% of my keystrokes not registering. This calculator became so frustrating to use, I ended up trading it away to my unsuspecting office-mate for his banged-up, but still perfectly functioning 5 year old 17BII. Recommendation: buy a used 17BII (even an old one) instead of this thing.

I purchase the hp17bII+ in August 2005 and have been using it since to do different real estate calculations and I like it very much,no problems so far. I like the feel of the keys and the two lines on the display. I use it to check the tme and date, the leather case is excellent. I think one can buy this macine with confidence knowing it will stand up.And for the record I also have a hp 12c for five years. I hope this review help