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Buying second hand

As we convert HP41 into HP41CL, we need to buy second hand units. This is getting increasingly difficult - prices are skyrocketing in the usual sites, with prices above 250€ for a CV calculator being normal, and not rare when the prices are above 500€. In some cases, ddefective units are sold for more than 150€. This in Europe - North American prices seem to be more normal, but then you have the import and shipping charges, which typically add more than 40% to the price. This makes our task more difficult.

Also our trusty calculators are getting older. The plastic they are built of is getting increasingly fragile and brittle, and they are breaking more and more. Some of these cracks are visible, some are hidden and more difficult to see. I have in my drawer more than 15 calculators that we have not been able to repair, or which it does not make sense to repair due to the cosmetic state of the calculator. These were sold as good sometime in the past. So the sage latin advice, "caveart emptor", stays relevant more than ever. Which is why we offer a 1 year guarantee for our vintage calculators (quite different from the "no returns accepted" seen in other places)

Repairing your calculator is increasingly the best option in many cases - the newer nylon-based 3D printed parts substitute advantageously to the brittle, fragile parts of old. I am now thinking about the battery bay for the HP41, where the originals are breaking by the corners, or the side cover of the HP41, with its fragile legs.


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