Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A superb financial calculator
I am currently a second-year MBA student, and I have owned a BAII Plus for about six years. I use my calculator almost every day. I can state that it is easy to use (the HP 12C is much less intuitive) and contains all the features you need in a financial calculator. The time value of money functions are very well laid out and simple, as are the cash flow, NPV, and IRR worksheets. There is an easy to use function for pricing bonds, and many other handy features. Although financial calculators are limited in their usefullness (serious financial modeling is done with spreadsheets), this calculator can handle any finance problem that's appropriate for a calculator.
Rating: - Nice Calculator that makes taking Intro Finance Easy
This calculator works great like all the TI calculators I have ever used. Having never used a business calculator (I am an engineer) before, the keys and interface were awkward at first. After seeing things done once or looking in the instruction manual the features become easy to use.Very powerful and makes intro finance class a lot easier. You can calculate the time value of money, NPV of cash flows, and internal rate of return. I am sure there is a lot of other feature that I have not discovered yet.
Rating:  - A Good Calculator but not a Great Calculator
The TI BA Plus II is a better calculator than most of the current TI models.Pros: It's a nice conservative brown color and not a day glo blue or some other candy color. The button feel (button feel a critical factor in buying a calculator) is much better than most TIs but it still could be improved. (It is not as good as the HP 12c). One shouldn't have to keep looking at the display to see if the number was keyed correctly. The different colored keys make it easy to find the various functions. The display is uncluttered and easy to read. The alpha characters on the left side of the display make it easy to know what data you are entering and what the resulting number from a calculation refers to. It has a backspace key. The manual is well written and very complete. Cons: The number of key strokes that you need to do the simplest things is unbelievable. For example, to change the decimal format you have to press 2nd, format, [the number referring to the number of places], enter, 2nd, quit. Compare this to the HP 12c where you just press F and the number referring to the number of places. Six steps on the TI verses 2 on the HP. The calculator has no weight to it. It seems flimsy. I would be very afraid of dropping it. The HP 12c is a tank by comparison. The hard plastic slip "case" doesn't fit securely. There is no way to change the contrast of the display. Extra steps are required to do TVM calculations as compared to the HP 12c since with the TI you have to press the CPT key to get an answer. If you forget to do that then the display number becomes a new, unintended variable. It doesn't retain the display when you shut the calculator off. The arrow on the backspace key points the wrong way. Compare it to the backspace key on your computer. It's easier to change the battery in your watch than it is in this calculator. The "cheat sheet" in the plastic cover is only paper and very easy to loose. The HP has it printed on the back of the calculator. No rubber feet! How much can these cost? That means you have to use two hands with this calculator; one to hold it so it doesn't slide around the table and one to enter data. You can't enter data with one hand and keep track of your place on a list of numbers with the other. Not noticeably faster than the HP 12c which was designed over 20 years ago. Conclusion: This calculator is better than most on the TIs in this price range mostly because of the improved button feel and the quality of the display but it would do well to take some lessons from the 80's and incorporate some of the features of the HP 12c. It's the little things that make a good calculator a great calculator. A calculator should be like an extension of you and not something that you have to constantly think about in addition to the business/math problems that you are working on. My first choice for a business calculator is the HP 12c but, if you are short on money, this is a good second choice.
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