# HP-16C calculator

25 Hacker News commenters recommended HP-16C calculator and 6 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for its fast tactile keys, RPN programmability and base conversion for programmers. Critics say the 8-digit screen limits it and that it is mostly a nostalgic replica.

## Why people recommend it

- Reliable and long-lasting over years (5 comments): "reports of a single set of silver oxide batteries lasting over a decade without having to be replaced" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48379082)) "my HP-16C that I got sometime in the '80's is still going strong!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48375962)) "Rock solid, RPN based, lovely product." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48380489))
- Used daily for network and embedded work (4 comments): "I use an HP-16 (the SwissMicros version, my originals are in boxes) and a 35s pretty much every day" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45890521)) "I've been using the latter on a daily basis while writing a byte-level network protocol client." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45987700)) "I use the HP-16C pretty regularly when I'm working on network protocol programming." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47983264))
- Fast, tactile keys for quick input (2 comments): "I still remember the way the buttons made a nice tactile thunk as you pushed them." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48375632)) "You can bang out your inputs so fast and with so much confidence on those keys." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48379334))
- Base conversion and binary arithmetic (2 comments): "very useful for that, especially with one-key switching between bases (HEX/BIN/DEC)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48381002)) "mainly for doing number conversions (DEC-HEX-BIN) and binary arithmetic" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46835608))

## What people warn about

- Screen shows only 8 digits (2 comments): "The biggest limitation is that the screen can only show 8 digits." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48376386)) "usefulness was limited by max number size" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46521032))
- Seen as nostalgic replica only (2 comments): "So, if you buy a new Voyager these days, you're getting a convincing replica of the originals from the '80s, nothing more." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48380944)) "a fake lookalike 'collectors edition' of a device that can have only nostalgic sentimental value" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48380921))
- RPN takes getting used to (2 comments): "I really hate RPN. I wish they would make one without it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48377019)) "every time I had to go through this adaptation again" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48382526))
- Price seen as too high (2 comments): "$116.96 (on sale; $129.99 if not) is too much" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48379361)) "There's a sucker born every minute." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48389789))

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=HP+16C+programmer+calculator&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "HP-16C calculator", https://hackerapproved.com/p/hp-16c-calculator/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).