HP-16C calculator
Hacker ApprovedProgrammer's calculator in Computers
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.
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.
31 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 25
- criticize it
- 6
- approval share
- 81%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 25 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 4.2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Reliable and long-lasting over years
“reports of a single set of silver oxide batteries lasting over a decade without having to be replaced”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” “my HP-16C that I got sometime in the '80's is still going strong!”
Comment from 2 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” “Rock solid, RPN based, lovely product.”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” - Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C”
- Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C”
Used daily for network and embedded work
“I use an HP-16 (the SwissMicros version, my originals are in boxes) and a 35s pretty much every day”
Comment from 11 Nov 2025 in “The R47: A new physical RPN calculator” “I've been using the latter on a daily basis while writing a byte-level network protocol client.”
Comment from 20 Nov 2025 in “How Slide Rules Work” “I use the HP-16C pretty regularly when I'm working on network protocol programming.”
Comment from 2 May 2026 in “Ti-84 Evo” - Comment from 3 Feb 2026 in “Ask HN: Do you still physical calculators?”
Fast, tactile keys for quick input
“I still remember the way the buttons made a nice tactile thunk as you pushed them.”
Comment from 2 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” “You can bang out your inputs so fast and with so much confidence on those keys.”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” Base conversion and binary arithmetic
“very useful for that, especially with one-key switching between bases (HEX/BIN/DEC)”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” “mainly for doing number conversions (DEC-HEX-BIN) and binary arithmetic”
Comment from 31 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: Do you still physical calculators?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Screen shows only 8 digits
“The biggest limitation is that the screen can only show 8 digits.”
Comment from 2 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” “usefulness was limited by max number size”
Comment from 7 Jan 2026 in “Programmer's Calculators” Seen as nostalgic replica only
“So, if you buy a new Voyager these days, you're getting a convincing replica of the originals from the '80s, nothing more.”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” “a fake lookalike 'collectors edition' of a device that can have only nostalgic sentimental value”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” RPN takes getting used to
“I really hate RPN. I wish they would make one without it.”
Comment from 2 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” “every time I had to go through this adaptation again”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” Price seen as too high
“$116.96 (on sale; $129.99 if not) is too much”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” “There's a sucker born every minute.”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C”
What people said
33 of the 36 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“There's a sucker born every minute.”
“It's also keystroke programmable, which means you can easily write a program that simulates the processor you're working on”
“I always heard great things about these.”
“It's in a drawer, but it's still good.”
“every time I had to go through this adaptation again”
“Those are cool - I'm sure it'd sell eventually.”
“It works just as well as the original.”
“very useful for that, especially with one-key switching between bases (HEX/BIN/DEC)”
“So, if you buy a new Voyager these days, you're getting a convincing replica of the originals from the '80s, nothing more.”
“a fake lookalike 'collectors edition' of a device that can have only nostalgic sentimental value”
“Rock solid, RPN based, lovely product.”
“Inflation adjusted, this reissue is a deal!”
“These are genuinely useful computation devices, for people who like using physical keys to solve problems more complex than a basic calculator could handle.”
“$116.96 (on sale; $129.99 if not) is too much”
“You can bang out your inputs so fast and with so much confidence on those keys.”
“reports of a single set of silver oxide batteries lasting over a decade without having to be replaced”
“the operations it could do just weren't that useful”
“I want my tools to adjust to me not the other way around.”
“I really hate RPN. I wish they would make one without it.”
“It is one of my most prized personal posessions.”
“Amazing a simulating different types of integer arithmetic.”
“The biggest limitation is that the screen can only show 8 digits.”
“If this uses similar parts as the HP-15C Collector's Edition in 2023 (which seems likely)”
“This is as close as a legacy HP calculator comes today.”
“my HP-16C that I got sometime in the '80's is still going strong!”
“Gosh I need one so badly.”
“I still remember the way the buttons made a nice tactile thunk as you pushed them.”
“I use the HP-16C pretty regularly when I'm working on network protocol programming.”
“The 16C is amazing, I wish I had one as I'm doing a lot of embedded stuff.”
“mainly for doing number conversions (DEC-HEX-BIN) and binary arithmetic”
“usefulness was limited by max number size”
“I've been using the latter on a daily basis while writing a byte-level network protocol client.”
“I use an HP-16 (the SwissMicros version, my originals are in boxes) and a 35s pretty much every day”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.