HP-11C: What is going on with the asking prices?

[Les Bell]

(03-19-2015 07:17 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  Basically, most (all?) of the 15C-unique features are things I use rarely so they never became familiar.

That's my feeling, as well; there's a lot of functionality "hidden" behind the keyboard of the 15C. It's very cleverly done, and very powerful, but you have to use it a lot to become really familiar and comfortable with it. I have a similar feeling about the 12C - from memory, it has some probably-quite-important toggle to do with "Canadian mortgages" or similar, hidden behind a gold-shifted key that isn't even labeled.

However, there's enough commonality between the 11C and 15C - their keyboard layout for the stuff that is labeled is near-identical - that you can use either calculator for the simple stuff. When the going gets tough, the 11C simply can't hack it, and then I either pull out the manual for the 15C to remind myself, or I grab my 41C with Advantage ROM. That happens pretty rarely, though. And the Pioneers are so small that I can easily carry both the 11C and 16C in my jacket pockets (or even in the hidden pockets of my ScottEVest shirts).

I don't understand any price pressure on the 11C, though - they're common enough that I've picked up two in the last year and a bit. The first one, I got locally for $A100 or so, and the second via TAS for around $US27 plus modest shipping - and that one came with the original box, case and manual. I think that seller (in the Philippines) had a few, and so I'm probably not the only person around here who got lucky. Perhaps some sellers are feeling a bit over-optimistic.