I know it probably makes me sound very old-fashioned, but I still sometimes use a desk calculator.   Even though I sit in front of a computer all day long, and could use the one on my computer, I still reach for my desktop model whenever I need to do more than a couple transactions.

One of my calculators is the Victor 1200-4 model.  I do not like it, and don't recommend it.  It's not that it doesn't have a few nice features - it does.  But I call it a "mistake waiting to happen".  Why?  Because of its buttons.  You have to actually press the buttons fairly heavily, until they 'click'.  Press them too lightly, and they don't register.  As one who likes to enter numbers fairly quickly, without looking at the screen, this calculator fails me.  If I don't pay strict attention, I'm likely to miss digits.  I just did it right now, as a test.  Without looking, I entered the digits 1-9, using my normal touch.  Sure enough, the 6 didn't register.  Doing it a second time, I missed the 2 and the 8.  I simply can't use this calculator in my normal way of entering numbers quickly, without looking.

The calculator does have some nice features.  One is the large, clear screen.  The 4" x 1" LCD screen is great for my eyes, and displays 12 digits.  And the angle of the screen adjusts.  Once set to the proper angle for my eyes, the display is extremely clear.   

Another nice feature is the very large, clear labels on the keys.  After several years, the labels are still intact, and just as easy to read as the first day I got it. 

There are some nice features, like a "check" and "correct" function.  This is extremely useful, when entering a large number of transactions.  You can go back and "re-read" your entries, to make sure they were correct, and even fix one, if you find you made a mistake.

Beyond the basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, there is a square root button, a percentage button, and the basic memory buttons (insert, recall, clear, plus, minus).   Of course, there are the standard C and CE (clear entry) buttons.  There are cost, sell, and margin buttons, as well as tax calculators, rounding preferences and a grand total.

This calculator is solar-powered and it turns itself off, when not in use.

Overall, this calculator provides a nice set of features.  The labels and display are clear and easy-to-read.  But the buttons don't have a nice "feel" to them, and lend themselves to a lot of errors.  I wouldn't recommend this model, for that reason.

Recommended: No

Purchase Price: 10