Customer Reviews
Just a calculator 
2008-02-10
I bought this calculator specifically because it was the scientific calculator approved for use on SOA/CAS actuarial exams. It has some nice features for such an inexpensive calculator. Its two line display is nice for keeping track of what you've done and avoiding typos, and it can do some fairly heavy duty statistics. It's also very easy to chain commands together.
I have almost never used this calculator outside of exams. Everything it does well is faster and easier with a graphing calculator (I've regularly used a TI-82 and a TI-84 Plus).
I've had to buy 2 of these because the first one I bought broke after about three months. The second has worked fine for over two years.
Garbage-very slow in accepting keystrokes 
2007-12-28
DO NOT BUY THIS GARBAGE.
I am not a very fast typer but this calculator is too slow and does not accept the keystrokes if not enough time is given in-between the key strokes.
Hence I almost always mess up the calculation.
Fantastic! Don't buy a graphing calculator! 
2007-10-16
Working towards BS in physics; after years of using my TI-86 I figured it'd be rational to get a solar backup just in case I was ever in a jam for an exam. Not needing something exceptional (yet) like a TI-89 or one with graphing capabilities (that I'd actually use), I settled on this bargain calculator. After I tried it out, I did some reflection and felt absolutely disgusted that I wasted ~$100 on my TI-86 when I could've gotten all I needed for <$20, and of course by "need" I'm pointing towards saving time on simple time-consuming math. This calculator, meant to be my backup, replaced my TI-86. It has everything I need, is well laid out and doesn't require batteries.
I remember entering algebra in K-12 hearing "you'll need a TI-83+ graphing calculator"... oh my, what a lie! Honestly, this is all you will ever need if you're not going above and beyond calculus. Using a graphing calculator is also horrible practise for introducing algebraic concepts. Keep it simple and you'll learn more, not that this is necessarily a "simple" calculator! The main thing you won't have is graphing, the less important chapters of algebra to boot. Besides, how hard is it to plot a few points on a coordinate plane and draw lines? Things like polynomials you should be able to do with ease, unless you're one of those procrastinating/lazy types who could care less. I suppose if it's all too excruciating, spend the extra $50 and cheat yourself.
The only thing that caught me off guard was that my TI-30 cover is a dark blue instead of black, but I'm hardly complaining! Minus 0.1 star, but 4.9 stars rounds to 5.
Good calculator, flimsy case 
2007-09-14
This calculator has all the functions I need for a graduate level statistics class. I especially like the 2-line display, which makes it easy to type in long strings of numbers without forgetting your place. The only reason I failed to give this calculator 5 stars is the case. It is incredibly flimsy and leaves me with no sense of certainty that the calculator is safe bouncing around in my bag.
Great, Standard Scientific Calculator 2007-09-04
When I was taking courses in calculus and physics, I used the TI-86 because it had more functions and was more powerful, for the kind of math that was needed.
However, the TI30XIIS is an excellent scientific calculator. It has most of the functions of a scientific calculator, with the scrollable screen that lets you check your numbers before multiplying, and perform many operations using the "Ans" function. As an organic chemist, it's the only calculator I need when it comes to doing simple chemistry calculations, which involve a lot of basic operations.
If you need to do derivates, integrals, polynomials, etc, then you should get something more powerful. If you just want a calculator to do your basic math yet allow you to check your numbers with ease, then this is a great calculator to have.
Great! 2008-04-07
I use this for advanced algebra I and it works great as a scientific calculator! (I still have to have a graphing calculator, but that is too big to carry around all the time.) I use this for everything I do math-wise and it works great!
Pros: well...it does what it's meant to do, and does it well. And at a great price, too!
Cons: I left it in my binder without the cover, and I think making it turn on and off all day long broke it. We tried replacing the battery but that didn't work. Also, I like a slide-on cover better than the span-on cover that this calculator has. Still, I am completely satisfied with it!
Simple, great calculator 2008-02-18
This is a great calculator for all types of math. It's simple and easy to use.
TI-30x IIS 2008-02-18
I have order this calculater a while ago. I was mad that the price of shipping is not clear. Moreover, I have recieved this item a week later than it supposed to be diliver. Therefore, I wrote a letter to the customer service. They reply me right the way with a full refund on the shipping. I recived the item with good quality eventually.
Annoying key problem. 2008-02-13
First of all: I own a bunch of different calculators from the TI line,the TI-30, the TI-84, TI-89, and I owned a TI-83 at one point.
Ok, this calculator, the TI-30X IIS works, but I have an issue with the buttons.
The keys feel sticky almost.
Some times you push them, but the number doesn't register. You have to press with exactly the right amount of force to get it to register. And the tolerance for that force is very small. If you press down just a tiny bit to hard, or use just a tiny bit less force, the key-press doesn't register.
That said, the calculator works, and it has two lines of text.
The only reason I got this calculator was that I needed it for General Chemistry.
Don't buy! Get TI-30XS instead. 
2008-02-12
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Update: TI just released the TI-30XS MultiView Calculator for a similar price and it is much, much better. The buttons work great and they've also improved on a lot of other features.
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I bought this calculator to take the FE exam. There are only a handful of approved calculators and so I chose this for the following reasons:
- Two line display
- I've been using a TI-83 Plus for almost 10 years and I thought that this would be easy to learn
- Solar - don't have to worry about batteries
- Inexpensive
I've been sorely disappointed with this calculator. The buttons are horrible! What good is a calculator if I can't type the information correctly? Also, the case is awkward and flimsy. Don't expect the same type of quality that you get with the graphic calculators, TI cut corners on this one. I don't recommend this calculator if you are going to be under tight time constraints because you will waste a lot of time fixing typing errors.
I've also had issues with the transition to a non-graphing calculator. It hasn't been as straight forward as I was hoping and the documentation is awful. I figure, if I'm going to have to learn a new system, I might as well go with a better calculator. I will likely go with the HP 33S Scientific Calculator (F2216A) and save this one as a backup for the exam.
