Texas InstrumentsTI-36X Pro Engineering/Scientific Calculator | 9.7 Inch | Black.

The TI-36X Pro is hands-down one of the best non-graphing calculators out there. I’ve been using it for engineering coursework, and it handles complex math, statistics, and scientific functions like a champ. The display is super clear, and I love the multi-line screen that lets you see inputs and results at the same time — way better than older models. It's intuitive once you get used to the layout, and the functionality is top-notch for everything from calculus to matrix operations. Also love that it’s permitted in exams where graphing calculators aren’t allowed — huge bonus!Solid build, sleek design, and definitely worth the investment if you're in any technical field.

I bought this calculator for my upcoming FE Exam in October 2013. I have been using it for the past couple of months to get acquainted and to study. When I was in school I used the TI-89 Titanium religiously. Unfortunately that's not permitted on the FE exam so I chose this one. Upon using it I must say that for a non-graphic calculator it's fantastic. The shortcut keys (for exponents, powers of 10, fractions, etc.) are a nice touch. The built in equation solver, polynomial equation solver, system of equation solver certainly shave a lot of time off of my calculations concerning static equilibrium, quadratic equations and circuits. This calculator also does Matrices, up to 3x3 and vectors in three dimensions. It even has popular constants (permittivity, Boltzmann, Ideal Gas, standard atm, etc) built in along with a whole conversion menu. On top of that it does numerical integration and numerical derivatives and plenty of other things I'm probably not going to mention.I consider it to be more user friendly than the TI-89 Titanium because of the shortcut keys and nice interface. For example, to calculate a determinant on the TI-89 you must press 2nd, MATH then scroll to Matrix, then select Det( and press enter. Then you have to remember the syntax which is det([a1, a2, a3][b1, b2, b3][c1, c2, c3]) and finally press enter.On the Ti-36X Pro all you have to do is press 2nd, Matrix and scroll to edit and enter how many columns and rows you want in the specified matrix, press enter and then put in your values. Then once the values are saved you go back to the Matrix menu and select Determinant and put in the name of the matrix where you saved the information. Pretty slick for a smaller calculator.The four line display provides enough room to see what your doing and the text is fairly large which I like. With the bigger calculators you usually have to squint to see some numbers, especially in low-light situations. This calculator also features Mathprint. This means that fractions, integrals and most other mathematical notation shows up as it's supposed to. However if you don't like this there is a feature to turn it off. This is especially useful for when you're calculating something like a parallel resistance circuit and you want to see that big fraction to make sure you didn't make a mistake.Of course no review is complete without listing the gripes. There's not too many problems with this calculator however there are something that really bug me. The first one being that there is no option to toggle "insert" like the TI-89 has. Usually I find myself needed to edit an equation that I just entered. Therefore I have to press second, then insert and put whatever I needed into the equation. Not a big deal but can get annoying at times.Second, I don't like the chrome arithmetic buttons. At times I find myself hitting the subtract button when I wanted to do some addition. However I solved this problem by running a fine-tipped sharpie over the buttons and rubbing off the excess on the surface. Now the symbols have a black color in contrast with the chrome. Much easier to see and I suggest this method if anyone else has this problem.Third, you must press a button multiple times to get what you need. For example say I want to type a complex number (3+5i) on the screen. I press 3, +, 5 and then I have to press the "pi, e, i" key three times just to get the "i" symbol. Can be a bit annoying/frustrating and you might make a mistake if you've had way too much caffeine as I normally do. Although I suppose they had to do this to consolidate space in the design process so I can respect that. Just a little annoying but I guess it comes with the territory. This can add a bit of time to the learning curve if you're not used to these "multipress" buttons.That's basically it. For a non-graphing calculator I give it a 9/10. Comparing budget calculators, I've had the TI-30Xa and the Ti-30XIIS before and this one blows them out of the water obviously, hence the name TI-36X PRO. I've never had a Casio calculator so I can't compare. With this many features and usability at the price of $17 or so it's certainly an exemplary buy. A great budget engineering calculator and certainly the best to use on the FE exam in my opinion. Go with this one!

Best calculator out there! Great price too. You can use this for the rest of your life as an engineer, scientist, student, etc. It is allowed on all standardized tests that allow calculators. After high school, no one really uses graphing calculators. Instead, you will use software for the most part (Desmos, Python, MATLAB, Mathematica); however, there will be plenty of times where you need a calculator and this will meet all your needs including advanced math such as solving derivatives, integrals, and linear algebra operations.

I bought this calculator when my old machine shop calculator died from being dropped too many times. There are a few things to note about this calculator for this type of calculation. And since I'm a retired mathematics teacher, I know a thing or two about calculators in education.First, this seems like a great choice for use in a machine shop. I need a high quality and durable calculator with trigonometric functions. This calculator is all that and more. The multi-line display is also convenient for seeing a record of previous keystrokes. Its quite a bit lighter than the old graphing calculator I was using, and I'm hoping that will make it more durable--lighter objects hit the floor with less force than heavier ones.This calculator has enough capability for educational use IF you don't need (or are not allowed to use) graphing or computer algebra functions. It is not a graphing calculator. And it won't do computer algebra operations such as solving equations, computing derivatives, etc. It's probably not the best choice for linear algebra (matrices, vectors, ...) or for advanced statistics. But it does have all the numerical functions you would expect to find in a classic scientific calculator.Last note is that this calculator has a snap-on lid instead of the old slide-on style I'm accustomed to (like on the TI-84). It's too early to say whether I like it more or less. Its definitely faster: just clip it on or off. But will it hang-on or survive as well as the old slide-on style if you occasionally drop it on a concrete floor?

This is an easy-to-use calculator with plenty of functionality. Quite feature-packed, including a pretty print Fractions display. However, the arrow keys would have been more useful if they were independent buttons, and the LCD could be higher contrast to make it easier to read in dimmer lighting. This is a good calculator before moving on to something more advanced like a graphing calculator. With this calculator, you can perform basic levels algebra, including functionality for solving multiple linear equations and root finding for polynomials.