BraunBNE001BK Braun Calculator - Black

As other reviewers noted, if you want a simple number-crunching calculator you can buy smaller and more powerful ones at a fraction of the price at your local stationary store. Even your average smartphone contains a free calculator app more powerful than this!So, why would anyone spend good money on an old 1980s design?Well, although the majority of people are quite sensible and practical - and would be aghast at parting with a good chunk of hard earned cash on an anachronism such as the Braun ET66, there is a daft minority who tend to have a more tactile and romantic interaction with the world around them. Such people prefer to use beautiful and dedicated tools and instruments designed to perform single functions efficiently - analog wrist watches, manual cameras, compasses, thermometers, torches etc. rather than having everything jammed into their phone.And so it is with the Braun ET66 calculator. Designed by the legendary Dietrich Lubs and Dieter Rams, it is a beautiful little adding machine that feels absolutely delightful in the hand and is a pleasure to use. Even if you don’t enjoy maths you will enjoy using this calculator. I have given it a 5 Star review because I like it so much, however, I do have some minor criticisms, which have been mentioned elsewhere.I think Braun should have made the display bigger for this reissue. I know it is a replica of a 1980s design (and LCD screens were expensive back then) but I don’t think anyone would have complained about a bigger screen. This would have required no change in the plastic case as there is a lot of empty space within the frame where the existing LCD display sits and so they could have increased the display size by approx. 30% with no compromise on the design.Also, there are four tiny little ‘feet' on the back of the calculator. But strangely only two are rubber. The other two are plastic and so they don’t help with slippage when used on a desk.Both these criticisms are a case of "less is ‘not' better." to paraphrase Dieter Ram's "Weniger, aber besser"Also, some people complained it is ‘Made in China'. But so much of what we buy nowadays is made over there and the standards and quality control are infinitely higher than they were even a decade or so ago. Also, from what I have read, the original was actually ‘Made in Hong Kong' but perhaps someone else can confirm that.The Braun ET66 is made from high quality plastics and though it is lightweight (same as the original) it feels extremely well made and designed to last. It is really a delight to hold in the hand and use, with it's ribbed back and sides and beautifully tactile little buttons. in fact it works less as a desktop calculator than a handheld calculator as the angle to view the display seems much better then. It is similar in size to my iPhone 7 and sits just as comfortably in the hand.I would highly recommend thos calculator to those who love good design and enjoy using well made, dedicated tools for specific jobs. For those who feel the price is too high for a mere calculator I would suggest buying something cheaper as this one is probably not for you.Braun Calculator - Black

I still have my original Braun calculator purchased in the early eighties but I bought this new one (at half the price of the original) for my home office. Robust, easy to use and a thing of beauty.

Braun CalculatorIf you are just looking for a calculator then you can get cheaper and more powerful examples quite easily. If you are a fan of the minimal functional and modern aesthetic of Dieter Rams and his time at Braun then this is a treat. Rams continued a rather Bauhaus look, that is still carried forward by Muji and Apple, so this is a piece of history that continues to resonate.In terms of the calculator, it is pretty much what you see is what you get, the layout is crisp and clear, the device is pleasantly tactile with well spaced rounded keys, and ribbed sides. I have uploaded some photos of the new version with an old one I bought on eBay, they are near identical. The plastic might be slightly less heavy and slightly more brittle, but if so the difference is marginal. The calculator comes attractively packaged in a nice presentation box, aping the presentation of iPods and iPhones when you get them.If you are in the market for this sort of thing, then it is well done, and likely to be appreciated for years to come. Having said all that, pretty much all the calculators I grew up with had a more pleasant heft than the more flimsy modern versions.

I remember seeing this in the British Design Museum in the late-Eighties and knew that I had to have one. I loved it back then until I moved abroad and the calculator stayed in the UK (I have no idea whatever became of it).Recently I became tired of having to go to the calculator app on my mobile countless times per day and so decided it was time to invest in an old-fashioned calculator once again. I had no idea that the Braun had been discontinued at some point, or that it had been re-issued recently.Buying it again was a bit of an extravagance when I could have walked into any store and picked up a cheap calculator that performs exactly the same function for a tenth of the price, but I still love the Braun. It's a testament to its beautiful, minimalistic design that it still looks as modern today as when it was first launched getting on for three decades ago (especially as it dates back to the Eighties - the decade that style forgot!)In summary, it's definitely a far from essential purchase, but it's a beautiful and useful desk accessory that tells anyone that sees you with it that you are a man or woman of taste and distinction for owning one.