# HP-11C calculator

7 Hacker News commenters recommended HP-11C calculator and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for its solid, tactile buttons and its long working life. Several say it still works decades later and is portable.

## Why people recommend it

- Solid, tactile physical buttons (3 comments): "Physical buttons are easier to use than mousing on a screen. And it's highly portable." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46843751)) "the solid physical construction (the buttons on the 11C and 15C were awesome)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48152138)) "Nobody gets keys right like the old HP calculators." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48154456))
- Lasts decades with battery swaps (2 comments): "Still works. Had to replace the batteries this year, after 20 years." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48375974)) "So does my old HP-11C calculator I used to write the first programs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47546982))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [HP 48G](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hp-48g-calculator.md): 16 recommend
- [HP 48GX](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hp-48gx-calculator.md): 12 recommend
- [HP 28S calculator](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hp-28s-calculator.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=HP+11C+calculator&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "HP-11C calculator", https://hackerapproved.com/p/hp-11c-calculator/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).