Texas Instruments BA II Plus Professional Financial Calculator

I bought the BA II Plus calculator for school purposes (I'm pursuing an accounting degree). I returned the BA II Plus in favor of the Professional, and if you're on the fence between the two, the Professional is the way to go. The BA II Plus Professional is a product that I strongly recommend. The reason for this is because of the buttons. Other than keeping a close eye on the display screen, the BA II Plus has no way of knowing if: A) a button has been pressed in any way; B) a button has been pressed in any way; C) a button or B) two buttons were pressed by mistake. When a button is pressed on the BA II Plus Professional, a small clicking sound is heard, allowing a confident user to enter calculations without constantly checking for errors.

Brecken Holt

| Aug 15, 2021

This, as well as the regular BA 2 plus, are both in my possession. They both do the same thing, but this model's build quality is far superior in every way. Despite this, both models have flaws. br>br>Advantages: br>br>Advantages: br>br>Advantages br>br>* Permitted on the CFA exam as well as in many finance classes. This is the true reason for its use. br>br>* Has the majority of finance-related information. related functions you'd need are readily availablebr>br>* A viable alternative to the ubiquitous HP 12Cbr>br>* Has both chain and algebraic modesbr>br> Because chain mode immediately calculates everything up to this point, 2 3*5 = 25 is the result. It also has an algebraic mode that yields 2 3*5=17. Some people prefer one way of doing things, while others prefer a different approach. They provided both, which I appreciate. Personally, I prefer algebraic mode, but it takes some getting used to. br>br>Weaknesses: br>br> br>br>* The decision about key presses is the biggest flaw in both this and the regular BA 2 plus. You must completely release the previous key before pressing the next key, or the previous key will not register. If you type quickly on it, this can cause major issues. If you don't use the same finger for all of your key presses, some of them will go unnoticed. Because so many people use calculators, you might think this is a minor issue. The BA 2 plus, on the other hand, has a number of important features that can only be accessed by pressing "2nd" followed by the key. It would be ideal if you could press second with one hand while pressing the key with the other. I can't tell you how many mistakes I've made as a result of this. I believe this was done on purpose by TI, so I must hold their engineering and/or design departments responsible. This is not a problem with the HP. br>br>* The construction of a screen. The plastic that covers the screen is extremely thin and makes direct contact with the LCD. This means that a light touch will turn your LCD black or make it display strange patterns. This is a problem because the calculator only comes with a soft case, and the screen isn't recessed, so the screen WILL be pressed on at some point. TI, there's no need to be so delicate with your words. * Friction with the table. br>br> Because there is no friction between the BA 2 plus and the table, it will move around while you type. Awful. The top of the calculator has two small rubber bumps, but the bottom bumps are plastic and do not have any friction. This means that as you use the calculator, it will tend to rotate. I'm not sure why TI didn't use the same rubber on the bottom as they did on the top. br>br>* The design of the user interface. This isn't the worst design in the world, but it appears that the TI engineers could have spent a little more time considering which functions are commonly used in finance. When using the exponential function, for example, you must press "2nd. " In finance, this is a very common function! They made even the most obscure functions, such as inverse hyperbolic cosine, as accessible as the most basic and critical functions. Here's another example of a blunder: Clearing basic items such as the values stored in the time-value-accumulator requires multiple keystrokes. The memory locations or a money spreadsheet Why is it necessary to make these commonly used keys so difficult to find? What TI really needs to do is record people using the calculator on the CFA and in classes to see which keys they use. Make them as simple as possible, ideally with just one keystroke. Things that aren't used in a menu or anything should be buried. br>br>Neutral remarks: br>br>* Some people claim that pressing the keys requires a lot of force. This is true, but it's also true of the HP, which I think is a good choice; they could have made them a little gentler, but these positively click, so you know you've pressed them. You will not press the wrong keys by accident. Anyway, all three major financial calculators (HP 12C, BA 2 plus, and BA 2 plus pro) have high-pressure keys, which I think is fine.

Edith Carpenter

| Nov 28, 2021

When you press the buttons, it feels strange, almost like you're pressing the buttons on an old phone. That definitely eliminates the possibility of a quick press. br>The protective pouch that comes with the package is extremely small and tight. It's difficult to slide the calculator in, and it's even more difficult to get it out once it's in. br>When I wipe the screen gently, it leaves some strange marks that I've never seen on any of my other calculators. I'm worried that the screen is at risk. br>"Made in Philippines" is written on the back of the calculator, along with a few Chinese characters. I'm not sure why Chinese is being displayed when the product was not made in China. Unless the exam requires it, I would not use this calculator. I can get a much better calculator from another brand for the same price.

Jessie Cochran

| Jun 13, 2021

My daughter's finance professors "required" that she have this calculator, and she will need it for future financial exams. But are you serious? We returned the first one because it had a crappy screen that decorated itself with lcd lines when you applied even light pressure. The screen, in fact, appeared to be shattered. The second one followed in the footsteps of the first. If she could use THAT one on her tests, we'd choose HP. This appears to be a common issue with this product. Take a look at the two-star feedback. If my daughter didn't have to have this brand, we'd send the second one back as well. These people are creating a dreadful system for deciphering crucial formulas.

Luca HUMPHREYS

| Sep 17, 2021

While there is a slight learning curve, I've found it to be very useful for finance and accounting calculations. Having said that, I'm not sure if the calculator is supposed to come with a cover, but I didn't get one. It's small enough to carry around, but I haven't done so because there's no cover to keep the keys and screen safe when in a bag. br>A number of reviewers have claimed that even light pressure causes the screen to malfunction/leave dead pixels, but I've had mine for about 4 months and haven't had any problems. br>It calculates quickly and has the functions I require, so it receives four stars for usability. Because there was no case or cover, I docked a star.

Sky Maloney

| May 31, 2021