Review: Omron 88M

Omron 88M

I wish I could own every calculator ever. I'd love to be able to review all of them and maybe make the world a better place. But sadly that is probably an impossible task because my home is small and I'm not rich. I have to be selective when calculator shopping now, so that means purchasing devices that stand out in some way. I've got plenty of boring calculators in my collection already.

The Omron 88M came from Japan way back in 1975. It runs on two AA batteries to power its green LED display. It has fairly basic functionality, with a floating point switch that allows the user to quickly and easily switch to financial calculations or avoid decimals completely.

I would never have guessed that this device was released in 1975. If I had to guess, I would have assumed early to mid 1980s, but that's when the LCD display became popular. This device looks and feels like something from an alternate timeline because I've never seen anything quite like it.

The peculiar design makes it fit comfortably in the palm of a hand and reminds me of those scanning devices from Star Trek. I wouldn't be surprised if the design of the 88M was inspired by the original series. By placing the batteries at the bottom, this device is perfectly weighted and clearly designed to be carried around.

The rough black faceplate was an odd but not unwelcome choice. It makes the calculator look and feel rugged, like something designed to be taken on an adventure. That may explain the keychain attachment, if that's what that is.

Each button sticks out prominently and is easy to press, with instantaneous response on the display. This is an easy device to use one-handed, and fits nicely in a pocket thanks to the strange profile.

Functionally, the 88M is nothing special. It works great, but I could say that about many other devices. It's the strange design that made me want this calculator. I found it on Ebay for about $9.

Back, batteries removed.

Faceplate and backplate separated.

Electronic components separated.

Face plate internals.

Some buttons removed. They look like buttons!

Review: TI-55

I had this review planned for the day after Christmas, but due to my hiatus, it has been delayed until today. But hey, Christmas starts earlier every year, so why not start in January?

TI-55.

When I ask people about calculators they remember fondly, almost every one of them begin with the letters "TI". Texas Instruments has been designing and refining calculators since 1973, and even in their early days they were absolutely killing it. Vintage TI devices have become collectibles for people like myself while newer devices still reign supreme in various markets.

The TI-55 was released in 1977, back when it was still cool to use LEDs. Later variants of the TI-55 used boring LCD displays. This was probably to preserve battery life, but I'll take a gorgeous display over longevity any day.

Speaking of batteries, the TI-55 had its own rechargeable battery pack. This might seem great until you remember this was way back in the 70s, before lithium ion batteries were a thing. Because of this, no stock TI-55 currently works today. Thankfully, this battery pack is fairly easy to remove and can be replaced with a standard 9 volt battery. The video review goes into a bit more detail about this, and there are guides online that explain why this works. It's just awesome that this calculator can be made to work these days.

Aside from the outstanding display, the TI-55 has a great color scheme and overall design. Sitting at a desk and looking down at it, you can see that this was designed to be viewed from an angle. This makes it ideal for school work, especially since it's fairly weighty and has rubber feet to keep it still on a flat surface. However, when viewed from directly above, the display is blocked. This may have been to prevent onlookers from seeing operations. Great care was taken in this calculator's design.

Slightly different angle shows display obscured.

Of course, this is The Calculator Review, so you know I'm going to talk about the button feel. Considering this device could technically be considered a pocket calculator, I am blown away by how amazing these buttons feel. They're clicky and responsive, and perfectly debounced to prevent accidental double-presses. I have no idea why Texas Instruments didn't choose to stick with this button design with later models because it's incredible.

It's a shame, really, that the LCD has become so ubiquitous in pocket calculators. From a technical perspective, it makes perfect sense, as it paved the way for solar and dual powered devices. But from an aesthetic perspective, it's disappointing. The TI-55 is a marvel of engineering and design. It looks beautiful in my collection.

Back of calculator.

Original battery compartment disassembled. 

Each button was taken out to be cleaned. This was a huge pain to put back together.

Calculator completely disassembled.

Foam removed. It crumbled at the slightest touch, so it couldn't be reinstalled.

Duct tape used in place of the foam. Slightly alters the feel of the buttons, but still works just fine.

Red goes to black and black goes to red. It's annoying, but that's how this calculator does it.

New 9 volt battery adapter installed.

Electrical tape used to hold things in place.

Testing the new battery setup to make sure everything's working just fine.

The battery is loose without the cover, but with the cover it's held comfortably in place.

Complete calculator with its leather case.

Review: Clip Calculator with Magnet 2606

Novelty calculators are generally terrible, especially novelty calculators ordered on Ebay for about a dollar from China. I have yet to find myself happy with a single purchase of this type, but as a calculator collector and reviewer, I have to let the people know about them. The calculator reviewed today is no exception. It's terrible.

Clip Calculator with Magnet 2606.

The Clip Calculator with Magnet 2606 (I'm just going to call it the 2606 from now on) is a calculator, a magnet, and a clip, but is only decent at being one of those things.

The magnet is incredibly weak, probably only strong enough to support the device on a refrigerator. I suppose you could hang a sheet of paper or two with it, but you likely have other, much better magnets already.

The clip is strong. It'll hold a bag of chips shut. That's the one positive thing I have to say about this device.

Here's a picture of the calculator not working.

And finally, the calculator doesn't work. The battery is probably dead, but I only ever turned this device on once, shortly after it arrived in the mail. To get to the battery, I had to disassemble everything and that's when I found out I didn't have a battery that would fit in it. That was disappointing.

When the calculator did work, for my brief test upon receiving it, I felt nothing. I had in my hand a calculator that could keep a bag of chips closed. The buttons were too small to use comfortably, and the LCD screen was utterly unremarkable. It could do the things a simple calculator is supposed to do, and nothing more.

So that's my review of the 2606. Don't buy one.

Strong clip spring.

Clip spring removed to access internal components.

Internal components accessed.

Complete disassembly.

Review: Unknown Curved Calculator

Hi fans of calculator reviews! It's been a while, I know. This has been an eventful past few weeks, but now I'm back to my boring life so the most interesting thing going on for me will be taking apart and reviewing calculators. Thanks for being patient with this free content.

Unknown Curved Calculator.

For the first time in my calculator collecting and research, I am unable to find the origins of a particular device. I don't know who made this calculator, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to figure it out. What I can do is hope that someone comes across this blog who might have some information. Until then, this device will be referred to as the Unknown Curved Calculator, or UCC.

I found the first UCC at Goodwill a while ago with some company's label on it. It looked like a decent enough calculator with its silver face plate, nicely contrasted black keys, and a relatively large, tilting LCD display. That tilting display is vital because if you intend to use this as a desk calculator, the curved design would otherwise prevent easy viewing. It is kind of strange that the designer created their own problem to solve, but the curve is quite nice.

The tilted screen solves the problem it creates.

While the buttons look great, they're quite unsatisfying to press. They work consistently, but there is practically zero tactile feedback. It's hard to explain, so if you happen to be in the area, we can meet up and I'll let you feel them. Just don't make it weird.

I did find and purchase two of these devices, and the first one was destroyed during the disassembly phase of this review. It's all well-documented in the provided video, but to summarize, the internal components are actually very nice, with the exception of the ribbon connecting the main board to the display. It's incredibly fragile, so it broke and I killed the calculator.

The first device had a battery access panel, but the second did not.

This creates a predicament for me as a reviewer. Yes, it is my fault that the calculator no longer functions. The device has an access panel for the battery, so most people wouldn't bother taking it completely apart. However, the second calculator I purchased, while nearly identical, has no such access panel. To change the battery, I would have to disassemble it in the same way I took apart the previous calculator. I have not taken this one apart because I'm worried I'll destroy it, so when the battery dies, I'm not sure how I will handle that.

These are promotional calculators, as indicated by the irrelevant labels on them. Most promotional calculators are designed with less consideration for the end user, and this device is no exception. It looks great, but you're way better off getting something more reliable. It's a shame because I don't typically see curved calculators. This device stands out aesthetically so I'd love to find a more quality device going for the same look.

I found both of these at Goodwill for about $2 each.

Internal components, front.

Internal components, back.

Review: Sharp EL-8141

Today is Christmas Eve, which means we're only fourteen days late for Hanukkah! But not to worry, because it's only 311 days until Halloween! To t̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶a̶d̶v̶a̶n̶t̶a̶g̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ celebrate the holidays, I've got a special calculator to share with you and review.

Sharp EL-8141.

The Sharp EL-8141 is tiny. It's about the size of a credit card. Even in its leather case, it still fits comfortably in my wallet. Credit card-sized calculators are common these days, but the EL-8141 was released around 1979 and looks better than the devices people hand out for free.

It also feels better than any free promotional calculator. It feels like a solid block of metal that won't bend without a significant amount of effort. The buttons are flat and have no tactile feedback, but surprisingly satisfying to use. Digits display effortlessly on the LCD screen and the calculator has an optional beep to indicate a button has been pressed.

Back of calculator.

I purchased this calculator specifically because of the musical note button. I thought this was going to be a musical calculator similar to the Toysmith Rock On! Drumkit Calculator. Sadly, this is not the case. That button only turns on or mutes the beeping noises whenever buttons are pressed. Still, it provides some unique functionality you don't always see in a device, especially one this old and this small.

The one notable flaw with the device is its use of two LR1120 batteries. The entire back of the calculator must be removed via a single screw to access the battery compartment, so this probably isn't the best one to take into a situation that requires reliable mathematical operations.

With its sturdy leather case and sleek overall appearance, the EL-8141 is a must-have device for any calculator enthusiast. As previous reviews have suggested, Sharp tends to nail their designs and I've been happy with every device I've looked at so far.

This Sharp EL-8141 was found on Ebay for about $11.

Internals with batteries removed.

Review: Jot Calculator with 8 Digit Display

Jot Calculator.

Taking a week off to focus on non-calculator aspects of my life has been beneficial. I missed reviewing my calculators though, so I'm very happy to be back to tell the world what I think about them.

To make up for the lack of reviews, I decided to start this brand new week off with something truly special...


Fans of calculator reviews, this day marks the end of an era. I've been reviewing calculators for a while now, and at long last it's time to bring about the conclusion. I hope this doesn't disappoint everyone, but I understand if it does. Today, I am reviewing the third and final Dollar Tree $1 Jot Calculator.

My hopes were not high for this device, especially after the Jot Scientific Calculator and the Jot Pocket Calculator. Long-time followers of these reviews will also notice that today's calculator closely resembles the Big Display 8-Digits Electronic Calculator. I'd been dreading opening the packaging because I knew this calculator was going to suck. It's time I move on with my life and be done with the Jot line.

This calculator sucks. It's exactly the same as the Big Display, except it doesn't pretend to be solar powered. The internals are identical. The only difference with this one is the color scheme. I like the black and white look, but it's wasted on this garbage.

I don't recommend this calculator nor any other device in the Jot line. I'm sorry this is such a short review.

Back side.

The buttons just fell out during disassembly.

Innards of this garbage calculator.

The motherboard.

Back of the packaging.

Review: Radio Shack EC-21

Happy Friday! Today is another Facebook review day, and since my reviews there got better, it means less work for me! I mean, I still did the work, but I don't have to do it now, and present me is happy about that.

Once again, the context of this Facebook review has been lost a bit, but I'm going to leave it as it was.

Radio Shack EC-21.

Eventually, I knew I was going to have to repeat companies with these reviews. I wanted to put it off for as long as possible, but then I realized if I kept doing that, I'd just be reviewing the same three companies' calculators for weeks. So this is my first repeat company, but I made sure to pick something interesting to distract from that.

The appropriately named Radio Shack EC-21 is more than just a calculator. If you've already looked at the images, this build up is pointless, but if you haven't, then you'll be stunned when you learn that this is also a gaming machine! The EC-21 not only handles basic calculations, but can also play rounds of Blackjack.

Fancy leather cover.

Before I get into the game play of the Blackjack, I want to give credit to the construction of this calculator. It feels like a solid block of aluminum- sturdy, but lightweight. The buttons are clicky and responsive, and don't have that remote-control squishy feel most calculators tend to have.

To play, simply slide the left slider to GAME and 0 will begin blinking. It's asking you to place a bet. You can bet however much you want, so I like to pretend I'm rich and bet $5. Press the bet button, and you'll be dealt cards represented by a single digit. It plays like any electronic game of Blackjack, but can be a nice distraction from a long day of math homework.

The one flaw that I didn't notice until I spent a few minutes with regular calculator use is the positioning of the equals button. Most calculators place this in the bottom right, but for some reason Radio Shack put it at the top, and not even in the right-most position. I found myself pressing the ( ) button, which is useless for most basic operations, and I had to clear the screen to try again.




The EC-21 was built in 1978 and runs on three AAA batteries. It comes with a nice leather case that also houses the manual. Nothing about it is complicated enough to warrant the need for the manual, but it's a nice touch. With its brushed aluminum exterior, It's a beautiful calculator, even without the case. I found it at Goodwill for probably $3.

Back, outside cover.

Back, batteries removed.

Front and back components separated.

Motherboard partially removed. Wires left intact.

Better view of motherboard.

View beneath motherboard.

To view the manual, click here.