Stuck with Casio because of the quality of the last one and so far are NOT disappointed. This calculator feels VERY nice, works perfect, and is a really great size for doing some basic accounting at your desk. Couldn't be happier! User Rating: ★★★★ Nice touch if you do 10-key by touch. Then, you would press the minus key, the one key and the equal sign to get the answer of 3. On an adding machine, you would enter the following sequence: 1, +, 1, +, 2, +, 1,. Where on a regular calculator the function precedes the number, the adding machine places the number before the function.
The Great DeviceWe Find The Best Gadgets And Review Them'Adding Machine 10Key Lite' behaves like a true '10 Key' or 'printing calculator' such as those made by Monroe, Casio, Sharp and others. A total is obtained by pressing the asterisk (.), operator entry is reversed, and percentages are obtained by multiplying and adding to a stream of numbers. Product Title Casio HR-170RC Printing Calculator, 2-Color 12-Digit Display, Black Average Rating: ( 4.4 ) out of 5 stars 50 ratings, based on 50 reviews Current Price $32.86 $ 32.
ByKeep Your Financial Records In Order With The Best Printing Calculator
Nowadays, in the age of smartphones and of the Internet of Things, most businesses are still using desk-top printing calculators – and for good reason.
For accountants and other finance professionals these machines remain more convenient, as they provide a printed record of all calculations – which can be used for legal purposes or stored in order to check data reliably. Whether this is still a true necessity or merely a generalized choice, there is a large market out there for printing calculators.
We are attempting, based on the manufacturers' own product presentations and on reviews from Amazon and elsewhere, to make a list of the top six printing calculators out there.
Not all of them cheap, but since this is a necessary investment in many workplaces we figured out we could help you make the soundest decision for yours.
#1. Sharp EL-1197PIII Heavy Duty Color Printing Calculator with Clock and Calendar
One of the most widely used printing calculators, the Sharp EL-1197 PIII Heavy Duty Color Printing Calculator with Clock and Calendar is designed to meet your accounting needs perfectly. It measures 4.8 by 15.4 by 10.5 inch and weighs 4.2 lbs.
It has a very fast, almost 4.5 lines per second, black & red ribbon printer, and a 12-digit, 14mm screen.
The grand total button is on the left, and it comes in both plug-in and solar powered varieties. It lacks differentiated left-handed and right-handed support, and buyer reviews argue that the choice of placing the grand total button on the left can make it counter-intuitive to right-handed people.
It has color-coded buttons for ease of use, 4 independent memory keys with second recall function and shortcuts for average, adding mode, constant, double zero, mark-up/profit margin, item counter, adjustable decimal settings from floating to fixed (6, 3, 2,1 0), rounding and generally all of the functions that are expected in a large printing calculator.It also has a clock and calendar function.
Its unique feature is the Microban® Antimicrobial Protection, which means that the material the keys are made of is infused with a technology that inhibits the growth of bacteria. This functions continually throughout the whole lifetime of the calculator and is great both in protecting the Sharp EL-1197PIII Heavy Duty Color Printing Calculator itself from deterioration and in potentially avoiding, or at least somewhat curbing, the circulation of bacteria and microbes via paper money.
If you need top heavy-duty durability for a fair price, this could be the best printing calculator in its class.
On Amazon, the price of a Sharp EL-1197PIII Heavy Duty Color Printing Calculator with Clock and Calendar ranges is around $60 new and under $40 refurbished. It's not particularly cheap, but there are much more expensive alternatives out there.
Buyer reviews are generally good, especially regarding the long life of the product.
While it's impossible to really decide what the absolute best printing calculator is, the Sharp EL-1197PIII Heavy Duty Color Printing Calculator with Clock and Calendar seems to be the most balanced model of its kind and thus the closest to deserving the title.Highly recommended.
#2. Victor 1530-6 Professional Grade Heavy Duty Commercial Printing Calculator
At 10.3 by 14.6 by 4.25 inches and 4.9 lbs, the Victor 1530-6 Professional Grade Heavy Duty Commercial Printing Calculator is also a pretty sturdy, large- scale calculator.
Casio 10-key Adding Machine
It has a 10-digit fluorescent display (with 17mm tall characters) – less than other products of its type – but its 5.2 lines per second make it probably the best printing calculator in the extra heavy duty class when it comes to printing speed.
It sorts many features, such as financial, loan and time calculation features, cost/sell/margin keys, item count, full decimal settings, clock and calendar displays,two independent tax keys, 4 independent memory keys, large add and subtract keys, constants in multiplication and division, change sign key, square root function, date/non-add key, selectable rounding switches and others. It is AC powered.
As most of its advanced functions are similar across heavy-duty printing calculators, what should set it apart and above most of the others is its much greater printing speed.
If you're ok with the size and the 10-digit display, the Victor 1530-6 Professional Grade Heavy Duty Commercial Printing Calculator is definitely a good choice.
#3. Canon MP11DX Printing Calculator
With its fluorescent 12-digit display and black/red 3.7 lines per second printer, the Canon MP11DX Printing Calculator is a good calculator in its class.
Its 10.2 by 15.6 by 4.5 inch size and 5lbs weight make it especially large, which can be a feature or a problem, depending on your needs.
The keys and overall design are different from other calculators, in that the keys are further apart – making typing difficult for anyone who's used to the '10key by touch' speed.
It has the standard features including 4 memory keys, shortcuts, specialized features like a profit-margin function or tax-rate memory,grand total, round-up/off/down, a decimal position toggle switch (add, 0, 2, 3, 4, 6, floating)and a clock and calendar display.There are both solar and plug-in models available.
According to reviews on Amazon the paper holder also differs from most other calculators, being metal instead of plastic, and the most recent entry on the paper feed can get blocked by the display. These things, along with the slower printing speed, have made it rank lower on the list.
However, its easily replaceable ink ribbon and particularly heavy-duty build, on top of the other features, have sometimes placed it as the top calculator in the heavy duty class on other lists.
The Amazon price ranges from around $40 used to above $80 new. Not particularly cheap, but some prefer it.
#4. Casio DR-210TM Printing Calculator
The Casio DR-210TM Printing Calculator is one of the bigger calculators of its kind. It measures 4.3 by 8.4 by 15 inches and weighs 3.7 pounds, with large keys and a 16mm character height, 12 digit Digitron display.
It prints in two colors at 4.4 lines per second and features a decimal selector switch with settings for floating or fixed decimal 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, a percent key, a grand total key, cost/sell/margin, item count, tax-calculation, double zero and markup/down shortcuts.
It plugs into any standard outlet and requires 2.25 inch paper rolls. According to many customer reviews, it is quiet and particularly easy to work with, with its highlighted clear and subtract keys and generally well-optimized '10 key by touch' layout, also with especially resilient keys.
Like its competitors, the Casio DR-210TM Printing Calculator isn't cheap – but it certainly ranks as one of the best printing calculators on the market.
If you don't mind the extra size, the Casio DR-210TM Printing Calculator could be a very close contender for #1 on the list.
It lacks the added feature of bacterial protection which earned its rival the top position, but many will find it more intuitively designed and might thus prefer it for being better at its main task.
The price on Amazon is over $50 new and around $30 used, also making it a slightly cheaper choice with at least the same top performance.
#5. Aurora PR600M 12 Digit Palm Top Printing Calculator
Compared to other products in its class, the Aurora PR600M Digit Palm Top Printing Calculator is much smaller – only 2 by 4 by 8.6 inches. It has a large 12-digit LCD display, but scores very low in the printing department with one-color printing and a speed of only 1.6 lines per second.
It has both print and non-print modes, so you can use it as a display only calculator. The paper roll can be installed either inside or outside the case;it has 00 and 000 keys, and programmable tax, decimal and rounding functions, metric conversion, and is both battery and AC powered.
This is the best choice if space is your priority, making up in size for what it lacks in functionality. According to some reviews it's prone to misaligned printing, but other than that it does a good job as a backup for a point-of-sale system.
Its biggest advantage is that it's considerably cheaper than its competitors; the current price is a bit over $10.
#6. Monroe Systems for Business 6120XB 12-Digit Business Medium Duty Calculator
From the inventors of the first commercial calculator ever, The Monroe Systems for Business 6120XB 12-Digit Business Medium Duty Calculator is one of the most resilient and error-free products in its price range. It is 8.5 by 11 by 3.25 inches, and is being sold as a medium-duty class printing calculator.
Casio 10 Key Adding Machine
It only prints 3.6 lines per second,less than most of its heavy-duty counterparts. It compensates with perfect key placement for maximum typing speed, including extra-large plus and minus keys and a backspace key. This is the definite '10 key by touch' printing calculator.
Like the other products of its kind, it prints in black & red for ease of reading, has 4 independent memory keys, buttons for tax functions, a switch on the side to choose between subtotal and grand total, rounding settings (standard, 5/4 rounding, round up or truncate), a cost/sell margin feature, group, tax, tax + and tax -, markup / mark down, percent, percent change, decimal settings (+, floating, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4). It can be used as a printing or display the only calculator.
Overall it seems to be the best printing calculator in the entry-level medium-duty class, mainly because of its robustness. Most reviews place it above any model by the other brands simply because it is a Monroe. It is recommended for small businesses, office or home use.
It sorts many features, such as financial, loan and time calculation features, cost/sell/margin keys, item count, full decimal settings, clock and calendar displays,two independent tax keys, 4 independent memory keys, large add and subtract keys, constants in multiplication and division, change sign key, square root function, date/non-add key, selectable rounding switches and others. It is AC powered.
As most of its advanced functions are similar across heavy-duty printing calculators, what should set it apart and above most of the others is its much greater printing speed.
If you're ok with the size and the 10-digit display, the Victor 1530-6 Professional Grade Heavy Duty Commercial Printing Calculator is definitely a good choice.
#3. Canon MP11DX Printing Calculator
With its fluorescent 12-digit display and black/red 3.7 lines per second printer, the Canon MP11DX Printing Calculator is a good calculator in its class.
Its 10.2 by 15.6 by 4.5 inch size and 5lbs weight make it especially large, which can be a feature or a problem, depending on your needs.
The keys and overall design are different from other calculators, in that the keys are further apart – making typing difficult for anyone who's used to the '10key by touch' speed.
It has the standard features including 4 memory keys, shortcuts, specialized features like a profit-margin function or tax-rate memory,grand total, round-up/off/down, a decimal position toggle switch (add, 0, 2, 3, 4, 6, floating)and a clock and calendar display.There are both solar and plug-in models available.
According to reviews on Amazon the paper holder also differs from most other calculators, being metal instead of plastic, and the most recent entry on the paper feed can get blocked by the display. These things, along with the slower printing speed, have made it rank lower on the list.
However, its easily replaceable ink ribbon and particularly heavy-duty build, on top of the other features, have sometimes placed it as the top calculator in the heavy duty class on other lists.
The Amazon price ranges from around $40 used to above $80 new. Not particularly cheap, but some prefer it.
#4. Casio DR-210TM Printing Calculator
The Casio DR-210TM Printing Calculator is one of the bigger calculators of its kind. It measures 4.3 by 8.4 by 15 inches and weighs 3.7 pounds, with large keys and a 16mm character height, 12 digit Digitron display.
It prints in two colors at 4.4 lines per second and features a decimal selector switch with settings for floating or fixed decimal 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, a percent key, a grand total key, cost/sell/margin, item count, tax-calculation, double zero and markup/down shortcuts.
It plugs into any standard outlet and requires 2.25 inch paper rolls. According to many customer reviews, it is quiet and particularly easy to work with, with its highlighted clear and subtract keys and generally well-optimized '10 key by touch' layout, also with especially resilient keys.
Like its competitors, the Casio DR-210TM Printing Calculator isn't cheap – but it certainly ranks as one of the best printing calculators on the market.
If you don't mind the extra size, the Casio DR-210TM Printing Calculator could be a very close contender for #1 on the list.
It lacks the added feature of bacterial protection which earned its rival the top position, but many will find it more intuitively designed and might thus prefer it for being better at its main task.
The price on Amazon is over $50 new and around $30 used, also making it a slightly cheaper choice with at least the same top performance.
#5. Aurora PR600M 12 Digit Palm Top Printing Calculator
Compared to other products in its class, the Aurora PR600M Digit Palm Top Printing Calculator is much smaller – only 2 by 4 by 8.6 inches. It has a large 12-digit LCD display, but scores very low in the printing department with one-color printing and a speed of only 1.6 lines per second.
It has both print and non-print modes, so you can use it as a display only calculator. The paper roll can be installed either inside or outside the case;it has 00 and 000 keys, and programmable tax, decimal and rounding functions, metric conversion, and is both battery and AC powered.
This is the best choice if space is your priority, making up in size for what it lacks in functionality. According to some reviews it's prone to misaligned printing, but other than that it does a good job as a backup for a point-of-sale system.
Its biggest advantage is that it's considerably cheaper than its competitors; the current price is a bit over $10.
#6. Monroe Systems for Business 6120XB 12-Digit Business Medium Duty Calculator
From the inventors of the first commercial calculator ever, The Monroe Systems for Business 6120XB 12-Digit Business Medium Duty Calculator is one of the most resilient and error-free products in its price range. It is 8.5 by 11 by 3.25 inches, and is being sold as a medium-duty class printing calculator.
Casio 10 Key Adding Machine
It only prints 3.6 lines per second,less than most of its heavy-duty counterparts. It compensates with perfect key placement for maximum typing speed, including extra-large plus and minus keys and a backspace key. This is the definite '10 key by touch' printing calculator.
Like the other products of its kind, it prints in black & red for ease of reading, has 4 independent memory keys, buttons for tax functions, a switch on the side to choose between subtotal and grand total, rounding settings (standard, 5/4 rounding, round up or truncate), a cost/sell margin feature, group, tax, tax + and tax -, markup / mark down, percent, percent change, decimal settings (+, floating, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4). It can be used as a printing or display the only calculator.
Overall it seems to be the best printing calculator in the entry-level medium-duty class, mainly because of its robustness. Most reviews place it above any model by the other brands simply because it is a Monroe. It is recommended for small businesses, office or home use.
Despite being technically in a lower-end class than the others, its price is much higher – around $150 on average.
How To Choose The Best Best Printing Calculator
Choosing the best printing calculator for your business can be complicated and often takes a process of trial and error. While all of these – perhaps with the exception of the budget / backup choice of the Aurora PR600M Digit Palm Top Printing Calculator – have more or less the same features, there are extreme differences in price, and often differences in actual performance that are not covered by simply reading the specs.
Whether you already have a model of choice and wish to change it, or you're looking for a first model to work on – either for yourself or for your employees – we suggest you to make the right choice based not only on the information available on-line, but on your own and/or your employees' experience with printing calculators. There are factors such as size, button placement or printing speed which are to be taken into account differently depending on the exact use you have for the calculator as well as the personal working style of the people using it. There are some models that come in both left-handed and right-handed versions, for example, and some that don't.
Price
is of course an essential part of the decision, but generally the more expensive products tend to be more reliable, coming from more well-established brands. It might be better to invest more at once than to have to replace your calculators often because of malfunctioning.
Lastly, what should also be taken into account is the constantly evolving market. At the moment you are reading this article some of these models are possibly no longer in production, having been replaced by newer ones. Some can still remain popular, well rated by users, and thus more trustworthy – but new and better models come out all the time.
Since printing calculators are still the standard in accounting, we advise you to use your own common sense and personal criteria in making the purchase that is right for you.
You might also like our articles on Polk RTi 12 Reviews and Asus RT-ACRH13 Reviews
Resources
- Compact Type
- 12 digits
- 2.0 line-per-second printingThe value indicates the number of lines printed per second.
- 2-color printingPositive values are shown in black, and negative values are shown in red for easy checking.
- Regular percentRegular percentage calculations.
Online Adding Machine 10 Key
- Tax calculationAutomatic calculation of price plus tax, price less tax, discount, selling price, tax amount, discount amount, and margin amount.
- Currency exchangeCurrency conversion
- Cost/Sell/MarginCalculate the cost, selling price, or margin of profit on an item, given the other two values.
- Mark-up/Mark-downAll the mark-up/mark-down capabilities of an adding machine for simplified cost and profit calculations.
- Rounding selectorF: Floating decimals. CUT: Values are cut off. UP: Values are rounded up. 5/4: Values are rounded off.
- Decimal selector4,3,2,1,0 : Specifies the number of decimal places as 4,3,2,1,0. ADD2: 2 decimal places are assumed for entries and results of all addition and subtraction operations.
- Key rolloverKey operations are stored in a buffer, so nothing is lost even during high-speed input.
- Extra Large displayLarger display makes more data easier to read.
- Plastic keysDesigned and engineered for easy operation.
