Product Details

• Brand: Hewlett-Packard
• Model: HP6S
• Dimensions: .30" h x 2.80" w x 5.00" l,

Features

• Essential scientific and mathematical functions for middle-school use
• Essential trig and math functions for scientific applications
• Base conversions and arithmetic
• Easy-to-use algebraic entry system
• Affordable and simple to use

Amazon.com Review
It's amazing the kind of calculator you can get for $10 these days. The HP 6S is a good example, packing basic scientific functionality into a thin, somewhat attractive blue aluminum shell. This calculator also comes with decent documentation, and Hewlett-Packard even throws in a free vinyl slipcase.

What really surprised us about the 6G is its solid design. It may not have all the features the best products in this price range offer, like a two-line display, but it's much more likely to survive being tossed repeatedly into a locker than many of the plastic designs we've tested. The sleek case has almost no flex and features rubber buttons that make the device look virtually waterproof (it's definitely crumbproof). In practice, the buttons are a little too stiff for fast input but worked reasonably well with practice. The design incorporates shift keys that double or even triple the functionality of each key, and it has a backspace button for deleting a mistake so we didn't have to redo the entire equation. The 10-digit display is standard fare for a pocket calculator and probably the weakest aspect of this device.

Because the screen can't show how your equation is shaping up as you enter it (like two-line displays can), it may be a little more difficult for younger students to learn the vagaries of entering data into a single-line scientific calculator. Fortunately, the included manual has plenty of clear examples that explain how all the calculator's functions work. The 6S is certainly not the most powerful calculator money can buy (even in this incredibly low price range), but it's tough and attractive and works as advertised. This model runs on a pair of LR43 batteries, which are included, but be aware that a solar version is also available. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Cheap, yet feature rich
• Good build quality
• Backspace button for easily correcting data entry errors

• Single-line display is somewhat passé in a scientific calculator
• Calculators with even more functions and features are now creeping into this price territory

Amazon.com Product Description
The high quality and easy-to-use features of the HP 6S make it the complete scientific calculator, perfect for students.

Use the fraction and fraction/decimal conversion for working with irrational numbers. Utilize sine, cosine, tangent, exponential, natural log, and antilog functions for scientific applications. You can perform quick and easy conversions with hexadecimal, decimal, octal, and binary bases, and enter data in algebraic notation, just as you would on paper.

Customer Reviews

Reliable, Respectable, and Ideal for Middle School
I bought a 6S prior to my seventh grade year nearly ten years ago. At the time this was a new calculator (based on the copyright date on the back of the 6S) and came in a silver finish rather than metallic blue. However, the machine itself does not appear to have changed. This is a good thing as this calculator is still my top pick for middle school students who may need something between a four-function and a graphing model.

I picked the 6S over others as I was fond of HP's printers and scanners, not just for performance but also for reliability. This turned out to be a very good move on my part as this calculator still functions today (and has outlived other solar calculators).

This calculator may not have a ton of advanced functions but for the student looking to get through middle school math and science courses it will prove more than enough. It also is superior to the TI-8x series of calculators in terms of usability for a few functions; I found myself using it occasionally in high school as well. Today I use this one more often than my battery-powered four-function Texas Instruments since the solar panel has held up so well over the years and doesn't drain any sort of battery. I lost the case that comes with the calculator (it wasn't the most durable case anyways) but the unit itself is pretty solid and doesn't get nicked up easily--I usually keep this in a box with math manipulatives and haven't found any signs of wear.

I recommend picking this one up if you're a student in grades 5 through 7 or if you're in pre-Algebra, not Algebra I, in any other grade level. It's nice to have for some entry-level science courses (especially at the high school level and for courses in college designed for non-science majors). The display is large and clear enough that it can be used in group situations; I use mine as a tutoring tool quite often. As a bonus the buttons are very easy to push and are laid out logically plus the HP reliability is there. I expect to get another decade of use out of mine!

Great Calculator
I think this is a great calculator for a specific group of users. I'm a computer systems engineer and often need to do decimal/hexadecimal/octal conversions. This calculator offers the functionality in a simple format.

I owned the Solar version and wore it out. Had a hard time getting a replacement, but eventually found one online.

Eye Catching
This is a smart little eye-catching calculator. Since it is an HP the quality is undisputed. If you want a scientific calculator without all the bells and wistles this will do. If you are into math this would only be a beginner....