Just ordered a DM42

[Dave Britten]

(05-10-2019 08:34 AM)grsbanks Wrote:  

(05-09-2019 07:54 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  The 15L and 41L are definitely better than the 42, but even those are still a far cry from a real Voyager or 41C.

The problem is, anyone using a Voyager or a 41C (or 48G/S(X) for that matter) as a tactile feedback yardstick will never be happy with anything else. It just doesn't get any better than those. Even the Prime, good as it is, doesn't get anywhere near them.

(05-09-2019 07:54 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  I like the DM42 for its software, and I use mine daily, but I've never been too fond of the keyboard (which I guess is a testament to how good Free42 is).

The DM42's keyboard does soften up with time and use. I have a production unit that I sometimes bring out but usually use my original beta unit from about 2 years ago. There is now a very marked difference between the two of them. The beta unit is now quite comfortable to use. Nowhere near as good as an original Pioneer/Voyager/whatever, but still pretty damned good all the same.

I've got a Prime, and I can honestly say that the keys feel much better than the 3 SM calculators I own, and it's certainly much closer to the gold standard of the 41C. The 15L and 41L are a bit stiffer than they should be, but reasonably consistent and responsive. The 42 is much too stiff, even after over 1.5 years of use and deliberate key loosening, and the feel is very inconsistent from key to key. But I've at least gotten it to the point that I can live with it, despite not really liking the keyboard. I think it's a sign that SM needs to scrap their keyboard design if they require nearly 2 years of break-in (and pieces of cut-up paper stuffed under the Enter key) to arrive at something tolerable.

Short version: The DM42 is a lovely calculator, that's really held back by its keyboard which prevents you from doing any fast operation.