I'm a research scientist who uses computers both at home and at work. But I also like to have a good scientific calculator ready at hand for convenience. I prefer Texas Instruments calculators for ease of use and reliability. I keep a calculator in my bedroom, den, living room, car, and at work. Three of my calculators are TI30XAs. That's right, as a practicing scientist I find that the bargain-priced TI30XA calculator has every scientific function I need for most problems. On the rare occasions that I need more power I use a computer. It never ceases to amaze me that many of my scientific colleagues are so computer dependent that they don't even own a calculator. Whenever they're away from their computer, they're lost. But with several TI30XAs, I have a calculator handy almost everywhere I am. You can spend more for a calculator but it's hard to find one that out performs the inexpensive TI30XA for most applications.