Casio FX 260 Scientific Calculator Product Review
The FX-260 runs off of the power provided by its solar panel and cannot be run on batteries. This saves money which would be spent on batteries (as well as making the calculator smaller and more lightweight), although the LCD screen will fade and become hard to read if you try to use it in a dimly-lit room. If this is a problem for you, combined solar/battery calculator models are also available.
The LCD screen is larger than that of some small pocket calculators, but not as large as the screens on most desktop-style or printing calculators and electronic organizers. It is flat and cannot be tilted up.
It is sold with a plastic case which slides on/off to protect the calculator from damage and keep it clean. The case can be fit on the back of the calculator when it is not covering the front. With the case on, the calculator is almost 0.5″ thick, 5″ long, and about 2.5″ wide.
The buttons are made of rubber and of medium size. I haven’t had any problems with them sticking, as buttons on other calculators sometimes do. Many features have to be accessed using the Shift button, including memory-subtract, percent, and square root. The “C” button works the same as “CE” on other calculators. There is also a backspace key, which is convenient for when mistakes are made in entering long numbers.
It has many functions, including fraction calculation, random number generator, number memory, exponential multiplication, PI, and a negative/positive button. If you have somewhat poor eyesight, it may be difficult to read the small yellow function markings above each button, which indicate the functions activated by using them with the Shift button.
The FX-260’s memory functions (M+, M-, MR) are less convenient to use than those of many regular calculators, as all of the memory buttons aren’t in the same area, and the shift key has to be used for one of the memory functions. However, minor problems such as this are to be expected when a large number of features are concentrated in a small device.
If I remember correctly, it cost about $12 at Wal-Mart. It doesn’t appear to be listed on their website right now. It usually sells for $5-8 (plus shipping & handling) on eBay. The website of the Target department store chain sells it for $14.99. It is available on some of the other online shopping websites as well.
Overall, the FX-260 is a reliable, compact, and inexpensive scientific calculator which is appropriate for most purposes. However, if you don’t need the scientific functions, a regular calculator may be easier to use and might have a larger display.
