Canon - MP41DHll Review

Calculators are almost as commonplace at workplaces as computers and the type of calculator most often seen at the desks of business people are desktop calculators, due to their ability to allow individuals to input numbers quickly and get a printed cash- register tape showing the amounts entered. One desktop calculator I have used and liked is the Canon MP41DHll, a calculator with a 14- digit display.

Calculator Commentary:
 
The Canon MP41DHll calculator is a large calculator with most of the functionality one would expect in this type of calculator, plus a little bit more. Like other desktop calculators, this one doesn't have very many different functions and it doesn't compare to the functionality offered by a scientific calculator or even most business calculators. But it does offer more functions than other desktop calculators such as four memory keys; seven different decimal placements; three rounding placements; cost, sell, and margin keys; grand total functions; item count; tax keys, etc. There are also two keys with multiple zeros to make input faster: A double zero, and a triple zero, along with the usual single zero key. The display turns red to indicate negative numbers and yellow/green to indicate positive numbers.

Among the many different positive features of this calculator, the one that sets it apart from most every other calculator in its class is the fourteen digit display. Most calculators offer only twelve digits and some even fewer. With fourteen digits, a person should have no problem entering any number necessary at their place of business. With this many digits, a person can enter a number as large as nearly 100 trillion without a decimal point or just under one trillion with a decimal point. With a display like this, it is safe to say that this Canon calculator has a large enough display to handle the financial figures for any type of business. Even the largest businesses and the federal government do not deal with numbers that huge, so you will never have to worry about running out of digits on your display when you perform calculations involving sales, cost of sales, expense, or other common business measurements.

Another one of the many useful features of this Canon Calculator is its multiple decimal settings and multiple zero keys. With the multiple decimal setting, you can choose among seven different settings: +, 0, 2, 3, 4, 6, or F for floating decimal. These settings are self- explanatory, except for the first setting, the plus sign. With this setting, you can enter dollars and cents amounts quickly because the calculator will automatically insert a decimal. This makes entering a long string of numbers faster than usual because you can enter a string of numbers, like 32658, and it will automatically convert this to $326.58. There is no need to press the decimal key using this setting. The multiple zero keys on this Canon Calculator are also very useful. Most all desktop calculators have a single zero and a double zero key, but this Canon Calculator also has a triple zero key. This makes it easy to enter very large numbers with lots of zeros more quickly then with other calculators.

As much as I like my Canon MP41DHll, there are a few potential problems that some may experience with this calculator. One is Clear and Clear Entry key. They are not separate keys- they are part of the same key. The idea is that you press the key once to clear your last entry and twice to clear everything. Press it twice by accident and, you guessed it- you have cleared your entire entry. This is why you must be very careful when using the clear entry function. To avoid this problem, I have developed the habit of using the backspace key to erase my last entry. I learned my lesson one time to many. It is too easy to accidentally press the clear key twice by accident.

Another potential problem with this Canon Calculator is the tendency to hit the incorrect zero key. There are, as stated before, three different zero keys and because there are three, one has to be extra careful to press the desired key. Pressing the correct key gets easier with practice, but it does take time to get used to the arrangement of these keys. When I first started to use this calculator, I often pressed the triple zero key by mistake when I meant to hit the double zero, forcing me to then press the backspace key (or clear key, if I felt brave) to correct my mistake.

Bottom Line Viewpoint:

Personal computers and spreadsheet programs have made calculators less necessary than in the past, but certain calculators are still popular and the business desktop calculator is one of them. If you're going to get a large business calculator, the Canon MP41DHll Calculator is a very good calculator that offers more choices and greater functionality than most other calculators of this style. It has a few small inconveniences but the ability to display fourteen digits is great for those who deal in large numbers and the two- color display makes it easy to tell when a positive number has suddenly turned negative. The good easily outweigh the bad, making this a calculator that earns an easy recommendation.