Couldn't Imagine Life Without It

Introduction
I was sick and tired of having to buy a new three-dollar calculator every week because it kept breaking. By buying a new calculator evey week, I was not being cost-efficient. I also needed to take a state test (including exponents and radicals), so I decided to take a substantial upgrade.

I kept getting those six-function calculators (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, and radicals) every time I needed a new calculator. I went through about twenty calculators in a school year.  I was in Wal*Mart one day looking at the electronics section. I happened to stumble upon the calculators, and that blue Texas Instruments (abbreviated as TI) 34 II calculator grabbed me and wouldn't let go.I knew I just had to have it. I was told to get a scientific calculator do to the fact that they last significantly longer. I kept my calculator for four years. It did every type of math problem known to any average sophomore. I was highly impressed by the quality overall. 

Ergonomics
The location of the buttons was about what I expected.

I would have made the dot on the decimal key bigger, and colored the symbols a color other than white (which is what color virtually every other key had printed on it).  I felt that the arrows were too small, however. They were visible, but if I hit one, I hit them all. I did like how they were four separate buttons versus one big one. The "2nd" button was a welcome surprise. This gave the calculator a new meaning of "functional" by giving about half of the buttons on the calculator virtually every button other than the numbers, arrows, basic operations, negative sign, and decimal point a second function. For example, the "square" button's second function was to perform a typical radical.  I would have liked the see a significant figure setting on the calculator for chemistry class.  The screen and the digits on it was big enough. Even in a classroom with the main lights out and only an overhead or a lamp on, I could read the display.
The memory was a nice touch, but I wouldn't pay extra for it if it was an option. I also liked how you could "clear the memory" by taking a sharp pencil and poking a little silver button on the back. 
The solar power did wonders for the battery life. In the four years that I had the calculator, I had never once replaced the battery. However, the battery could last even longer if there was an "off" button Even under the heavy use and abuse I put it through, the numbers and characters on the buttons never wore off. My least favorite feature of the calculator was the plastic cover that came with it. It broke almost immediately after I bought it. The idea was good, but the execution was below average. I recommend that Texas Instruments use a Velcro leather cover on the calculator instead of a completely detachable plastic one.  I have set my calculator in water, and dropped my calculator a thousand times, including in the street, grass, and muddy sewer water. It never broke (but the cover did). The ultimate demise of my calculator was when the screen suddenly went black on me one day. It was fine in the morning, but when I used it that afternoon, the screen was black. 

Future Endeavors
The ultimate demise of my calculator was when the screen suddenly went black on me one day. It was fine in the morning, but when I used it that afternoon, the screen was black. Have I been happy with the service of my calculator? I have. Would I buy another one? Yes, I would in a heartbeat with no second thoughts.  When I was looking for another TI 34 II, I couldn't find any new ones. So, I took another step up and got a TI 34 Multi-View. It is exactly the same thing, other than a different styling and a larger screen. Call me crazy, but I know that I won't be at my Dollar Tree tomorrow or the next day buying stock in three-dollar calculators.