[fermienrico]

Unfortunately, consumer electronics are not the same as the days of Braun. 70’s was the golden era.

I was extremely pleased with my DM42 from SwissMicros. All of their models either have a Titanium or Steel case. The heft and quality is just absolutely beautiful.

I spoke to Michael Steinmann and he seems to be a great guy passionate about what he does. I enjoyed our conversation about old school electronics.

Check out https://SwissMicros.com

[agumonkey]

Talking about Braun, I've been disassembling all kind of devices for a few monthes, and you can appreciate differences betweens brands a bit. Braun and a few brands, do have better materials, better internals. I guess 90% of consumers can't give a damn about that but it registered in my head. To the point that I would even start a website about that, some sort of ifixit for everything but phones.

[ddingus]

You should. Teardowns on ordinary things is appealing and informative.

I suspect more people than you think would find all that compelling.

[agumonkey]

Youtube is already filled with that, but it's random in quality.. maybe

[ddingus]

Really, I was speaking to quality. If it's good, informative, then heck yeah. I like that stuff.

[fermienrico]

Please...please start a blog, instagram, Youtube, whatever and post your findings. I've been meaning to purchase old Braun and B&O devices to learn how they're made but the expense is putting me off.

This would be so amazing if you could document your tear downs.

[agumonkey]

Well, my devices were those people leave on the curb monthly so finding Braun things there is possible (although not regular), B&O on the other hand .. you gotta be reaaaallly pressed to discard anything from them outside.

[FullyFunctional]

INTERESTING, thanks for sharing. Please, how is the keyboard? To me, more than anything, what made the HP calc fantastic was the great keyboard - which really matters when you start using them in anger.

My HP-15C survived all but the last of many drops. The HP-11C that replaced it still powers on on its original batteries!

[Stratoscope]

These were rugged little machines.

Back in the '80s I had a dog named Ben. A lab-afghan-shepherd mix, truly a great dog. Whenever he took a nap, my cat Petunia would climb on top of him and take a nap with him. They were best friends.

Ben had only one bad habit. He liked to find my wallet or checkbook and bury it in the back yard!

One day he found my HP-16C in its "leatherette" case. Yes, it was just like a checkbook or wallet. So he buried it for me. Thanks, Ben.

And then he dug it back up and when I found it, it had major tooth marks in it!

I was pretty upset. This was not a cheap calculator. So I swatted him on the nose with it. [1] And then I was so angry I threw the calculator across the street!

Well, I felt pretty stupid after that. So I went across the street, picked up the calculator, and it still worked! And it still works to this day. (Lucky for me, Ben's tooth marks just missed the display.)

[1] Animal rights lovers, please do not get too upset. Ben and I had our disagreements from time to time, but we were best of friends, just like all the dogs and cats I've had the privilege of sharing a home with.

[jasomill]

On a related note, in high school, my dog got hold of my nearly new HP-48GX; I wasn't so fortunate as you, as she bit right through the display, shattering it.

Figuring dog bites weren't covered under warranty, I sent the calculator — which had obvious "puncture wounds" through the display — off to HP Corvallis, with a note explaining the cause of the damage, and requesting a repair estimate for the damage.

A week or so later, I received a response — in the form of a brand new 48GX in retail packaging, provided at no charge.

Which, as expected, still works today (though these days, I rarely use any of my [embarrassingly many, including two revisions of HP-35] HP calculators other than my pair of 15Cs; though I do also have a 16C at my desk which I use on a semi-regular basis).

[jloughry]

Casio calculator watch—the black plastic kind—went all the way through a black Lab named Brando. Came out the other end of the dog minus half of its wristband, with teeth marks in the keyboard and a cracked display but it still worked. Cleaned it thoroughly, replaced the band and wore that watch for many more years.

[madengr]

I dropped my 32Sii from 3 stories onto concrete. It was scuffed but fine.

I have 4 of the 32Sii unopened in clamshell.

[apricot]

Greetings, fellow 32Sii lover. I also have enough spares to outlast me, and it's a good feeling. That said, perhaps I'm being overcautious as my first 32Sii (bought in the early 1990s) is still in great shape.

[falcon620]

This image from their website is one of the sexiest product photos I've ever seen:

https://www.swissmicros.com/photos_feb2016/kuble/DM15_credit...

[gh02t]

I've been eyeing one for a long time. I use an original HP-42S I stole from my father that's older than I am, but I almost spilled coffee on it the other day, which made me realize it's probably time to invest in the SwissMicro just based on the value of the 42.

[jasomill]

Looks like the DM42 also fixes the only complaint I ever had about the 42S, namely, the display contrast. While I've had a 42S for many years, and have spent many pleasant hours fiddling with it, it never replaced my pair of 15Cs as a daily driver on account of the display.

[FractalLP]

I'm thinking about purchasing one of these, glad to hear they're well liked.

[poyu]

Thanks for SwissMicros link! Never heard of them.