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: High quality and classy Financial Calculator
Summary: 5 Stars
I took a finance class and was forced to purchase a financial calculator. The BA-II was recommended, but students could opt for the BA-II Plus if they wanted to. I'm *very* happy that I did -- not only are the additional functions useful, but the look and finish of the calculator makes it much more enjoyable to use. It seems like a small thing -- I mean, who cares what a *calculator* looks like -- but having silver, easy to read buttons and an overall silver case makes you feel like you're using a sophisticated machine, not just a plastic calculator.
As for the functionality, there are a handful of additional functions on the Plus, such as IRR and other cash flow oriented calculations. These aren't used as much as the standard N,I,PV,PMT,FV set of keys, but when you need them they're very handy to have on hand. Rather than a plastic hardcase, this calculator also comes in a slipcase.
My only complaint is simply that I'm still used to "regular" calculator things like order of operations, and the fact that resetting the calculator also resets what I would assume are "global" settings that should stick. But that's a complaint of all financial calculators, and reflects more on my use than the calculator.
The kicker is that this calculator is only $5 more than the BA-II. For $5, just the build quality is enough to justify the extra cost. The features are a bonus at that point.
Customer Review: Awesome calculator...more fun than you can imagine (seriously)
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fabulous financial calculator. Until now, I have been a fan and owner of HP's financial calculators, but the TI BA II Plus Professional has converted me. Now, I am thinking about buying a spare TI BA 2+ Pro to keep as a backup....probably won't come to that, but you get the picture of how much I like it.
Why do I like it? First, it has a nice weight and size -- it feels good in the hand. It has rubber feet on its backside that are very effective at preventing it from sliding around on the desk...nice touch. Quality of construction seems good enough for a calculator.
Second, it has a variety of very intuitive functions -- built in worksheets for common scenarios (bond pricing, breakeven analysis, price/margin determination, interest rate conversion, depreciation, and a very handy date calculator (e.g., how many days have elapsed since 7/15/69 to 2/1/09?....14,446). In addition to "routine" TVM calculations, it seems to be the only financial calculator on the market at present that also determines MIRR, which isn't such a big deal, but it is a handy function for capital budgeting.
It is easy to learn, straightforward to use, and feels good...the only thing it does not do is make the decisions for you (but it gives you results that help you make the decisions). Worth every penny of the price I paid for my TI BA 2+ Pro...
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: 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!