Texas Instruments BA II Plus Professional Financial Calculator
by Texas Instruments
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Texas Instruments BA II Plus Professional Financial Calculator
Customer Review: Casio vs TI Professional
Summary: 5 Stars
I studied Finance and Mathematics.
TI Professional:
Pro:
1. You may use this in Actuarial exams or CFA exams.
2. Once you get used to it, it is a good calculator. Most finance textbooks gives examples using TI calculator.
Con:
1. Harder to use than Casio, but not too hard.
2. Battery supported, you should change your battery before going into the Actuarial or CFA exam if you have been using this calculator for awhile. I believe it lasts about 1-3 years.
Casio
Pro:
1. More features
2. Easier to use
3. Battery and solar supported
4. Navigation feature, you can scroll up and down on few lines of display
Con:
1. You can't use this on Actuarial or CFA exams.
2. School textbooks teach you how to use financial calculator using TI, not this one.
My opinion:
If you are not a hard-core finance person, getting a Casio might be better since it's easier and cheaper to use. However, as an actuary, I use TI most of the time.
If you are a Finance major, plan to take any Actuarial or CFA exams, get TI because you have no choice. (You may use HP for CFA exam, but I think people who started their career many years ago use HP, young people these days use TI)
I hope this review helped.
Customer Review: Good calculator but I don't like the buttons.
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this calculator for use in my finance classes and overall it's a great calculator.
Pros:
-It has great functions that are easy to use.
-It's a nice size, not as bulky as my TI83 calculator.
-Sturdy build, I definitely don't worry about it breaking.
-It is a very nice looking calculator.
Cons:
-It comes with a soft case. Not too much of a problem but it would be nice to have a hard case for the extra security.
-The buttons drive me nuts. They are good in that they aren't super easy to push so I don't end up with a number I didn't intend to be there, but I struggle with getting it to register the numbers I DO want. Maybe it's a processing problem and that it can't keep up with me. But I really don't enter numbers very fast and I am very deliberate about pushing the buttons down hard. I have to be annoyingly intentional about watching the screen to make each number shows up when it's pushed. Basically, I have to type a number in much slower on this calculator than on any of my others.
In conclusion, this is a great calculator in regards to excellent, easy to use functions, sturdy build and appearance. But if you like to type in lots of numbers quickly, you might want to find someone who has one of these to see if it will work for you. Best of luck!
Customer Review: Look no further, and stay away from HP 12C
Summary: 5 Stars
This is fabulous. Have read the prior reviews and have not experienced any of the issues mentioned by others. Key stroke entry is great, solid feel, no problem with going fast or duplicate entries. The reason I say to stay away from the HP 12C is that you do not know when you need the maual, and you DO need the manual to do basic calculations, even small variations of the same calculation. For example, if you calculate a very basic loan payment with a term of 48 months, 5% monthly interest and $20,000 principal value on this TI and the HP 12C, you will get the same answer. However, if you change the term to 48.5 months, you get a different answer on the TI than the HP 12C. The TI answer is correct, but the HP 12C answer is not. In order to get the right answer on the HP 12C, you need to read the manual in order to input a term with a decimal place in it like 48.5 months. In other words, on the HP 12C, you do not input a term with a decimal place the same way you input a term without a decimal place. The underlying problem is that you just don't know when you need the manual for the HP12C and when you don't. It's always a safe bet to use the TI, and that is why it is allowed on so many professional exams. Not sure if other HPs have similar problems but I would not want to chance it on an exam.Customer Review: Hit the ball out of the park
Summary: 5 Stars
Finally! This is a superb upgrade to TI's previous BA II product. I hated the previous model with a passion given the near "touchless" keypad (allowing for frustrating key entry). THIS is the calculator that I would want to use for the CFA exam (did I mention how much I HATED the previous TI BA calculator??).
For those thinking of the HP12C line, I had a 12C for many years and loved it. However, after it got ruined due to a playful two year old, I bought a new one and found it cheaply made compared to the one I bought in the 80's (very disappointing) and have since abandoned using it. Interestingly, I found the following calculation example from a review of the HP 12C Platinum edition to be very interesting: "If possible, I would suggest that potential users and buyers try this data set on both the 12C and 12cP before buying. Clear register. Find [i] after input [PMT]=-1458;[FV]=0,[n]=84,[PV]=103600. The HP12C would take 20 seconds "running" while the HP12cP would take about 30 seconds to give the same answer [i]=0.4059!"
How long for the BA II Plus Professional? I timed it at about one second.
As calculators go, this is a mighty sweet device -- especially given the clear HP-like display viewable at all angles!! Count me as a definite TI BA II convert!
Customer Review: Best on the block
Summary: 5 Stars
By far the best financial calculator in the market. The quality, sturdiness, design, & the layout, more specifically the firm-touch keypad and the no-slide rubber feet, are excellent. No longer is it necessary to cradle it in your left hand while you punch the figures in with your right; the keys are adequately sized to allow a one-hand job and the calculator will not slide around the desk while being used. Having used some of the other brands and other TI models, I was very impressed with its calculation speed as well. So far I've noticed the NPV and IRR to take the longest and that was at approximately 1.5-2 seconds. FAST!! It comes with a fairly comprehensive booklet which came in very handy. I highly recommend going over it at least once.. shouldn't take more than half an hour and it really is very informative... There are multiple ways to input data so a quick read of the booklet will very likely increase your efficiency.
Yes there are 2 cons (minor at best). One is the battery; its those sometimes hard-to-find round disc batteries. Second is the case which is flimsy at best. ONLY thing it will protect the calculator from, if that, is minor scratches. I have no idea why they would settle on such an inferior case but they did. Overall, an excellent product!