Texas Instruments TI-86 Graphic Calculator

The price was right; the item arrived in excellent condition; the seller was very helpful in confirming the item shipment; and the item arrived in a very timely manner. This was my first EBAY purchase EVER, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I needed this particular calculator and I got exactly what I needed and when I needed it.

awesome "mini computer" great for calc eng and trig courses.. although now discontinued model, a must for the college student

The calculator I purchased didn't work. I contacted the seller many times with no response. I had to purchase another calculator from another seller and am stuck with one that doesn't work. Thanks paigepage power seller!

They gave me a bad calculator and took their time replacing it... Customer Service wasnt the greatest.

Great Calculator, Easy to use and very powerful. It was sold to me with a dead pixel that I was unaware of Dishonest seller did not include in ad, So I don't know if this is common with this unit. Bought it for college.
Ask if there are dead pixels before you buy one.

way to go! thanks awesome ebayer! fast shipping look forward to doing business with agsin!-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The TI-86 is the calculator to use in advanced math applications. After years of use, this calculator is 2nd only to TI's more advanced units, suck as, the TI-89.

This review is written assuming that Texas Instruments calculators are more popular at your school. HP and Casio are the main competition in this area, and will not be further mentioned. Go to their reviews if you need them instead!

With an interface and programming language almost identical to the TI-85, the TI-86 brings more memory, faster CPU, extra functionality to the classroom. The solver and easy text entry make this calculator easier to use and program with than the TI-82 and TI-83 models.

Families (for comparison): The TI-83 is to the TI-82, what the TI-86 is to the TI-85. The TI-89 is essentially a TI-92 with the style of keyboard used by the more popular two families. The TI-84 and Voyager models are supposed to replace all the old families from the 1990's. See Wikipedia for more detailed comparisons.

Overall: If you're wanting a powerful programmable calculator with excellent third-party support, and ease of use, get a TI-86. If you want to run installable packages, get the TI-84 instead. If you're on a budget and just need a calculator with almost the same interface as the other students and instructors, the TI-85 and TI-82 will work but might not cover some instructor's requirements. The TI-83 and TI-84 are currently the most accepted by instructors at my college. As always, ask your instructor which are allowed.

In the world of Texas Instrument calculators, one prefers the type used from the beginning of complex math. I started out with the TI-82 calculator, and upgraded to the TI-86 in 1999. I have been using it ever since. I started in high school, and this calculator got me through engineering school. It has everything I need as an electrical engineer. This calculator does polar and rectangular computation, number systems computation (binary, decimal, octal, hexadecimal), and so much more. It really cut homework time in half until my final year and a half. It is easier to get used to than the newer generation TI's (like the TI-93). Many of my classmates preferred this model or the TI-89 for all of their needs. I even take it when I go shopping. When I have a lot to buy, I put in all of the prices, keep a running tally, and can see right away if I am staying on budget. Not only that, but sometimes the scanned prices are wrong, and I have actually had to use this calculator to go back and prove price discrepancies to a lazy manager who did not want to check for herself. I cannot say enough great comments about this calculator; but be aware. I know that TI makes some great calculators tailored to numerous application. This model is geared toward scientists and mathmeticians who will need the complex functions this calculator performs. If you need normal computations, and you do not forsee yourself going into the aforementioned fields of study, you should purchase a different kind of calculator. This calculator can be expensive, and it would be unfortunate to waste money.

The calculator was in great condition as described, easy to buy with paypal. It came in record time and was in supurb condition.

This was an auction item. I had an old TI-82 and wanted an upgraded unit which
also had more functions and a clearer screen. I kept adding to the bid price until I won the item. It was complete with the user's manual and original packing case. This way I did not have to download oveer 400 pages of instruction.

The TI-86 is a fabulous calculator for college students taking engineering, calculus, or physics courses. It is the precursor to the TI-89, but many consider it to be the best calculator Texas Instruments ever produced. It is not as user friendly as the the TI-89, but once you have learned to operate all its functions, you will see that it can handle just about any college level mathematics. I highly recommend this calculator, but be warned there is a significant learning curve to use it to its full potential.

Ti-86 calculators are hard to find - except on E-bay.
I was able to easily find and buy virtually new calculators for 25% of retail.
Two guys at work now have great calculators that they likely would not have had thanks to E-bay.

This calculator is awesome. I wish I only had enough to buy a TI 89 platinum. I hear they are really cool.

Likes: It worked when I got it.
Love: How I only got it for $20.00.
Dislikes: The scratched in name of the previous owner.

The calculator was not for our 9th grade son to use in highschool. I thought I would buy an advanced calculator, but instead it was too advanced for their level. It is more for a college student studying engeneering he was told by his algabra teacher.

I purchased 4 ti-86's ,every thing about the sale ,and delivery was great.
This was to complete my inventory,for a lab,we have 14 units to work with our cbr's this model is not made anymore, and when some of the 14 brake down and can't be repaired,,,,,,
That is why i am glad to get these. Now we will not have to replace 14 of them.
I received ALL of them in great condition,and the price was good as well,
I was pleased with the speed with which the sellers did to get them to me ,
I received the first one a day before i need it in a lab.
I am very pleased with the way that my sales went ,and i shall look for more deals .

Whether or not you like the TI-86 depends on your skill level and what you are used to. If you are comfortable on the TI-84 and want something that has a nicer display and layout and is more business oriented than student oriented, a used TI-86 is a good, cheap option, and unless you're doing very advanced math requiring symbolic manipulation, CAS etc, the TI-86 has everything you need.

This is my middle daughter's second TI-86-- the first one was stolen (lost?) at school. It is very user-friendly, and performs all the necessary functions for high school math classes, from basic algebra all the way up to AP calculus and trig. (Her 7th grade brother even borrowed it for ACT's, and was able to use it without the benefit of any instructions.)
Our oldest child also used this type of calculator throughout high school, and had the same type of experience. At one time, her screen display died, and she was able to get Texas Instruments to replace the calculator with a new replacement, saving money for us. Texas Instruments has been making calculators for a very long time, and the product's reliability reflects their good standing in the industry.

I needed a calculator for one of my math classes at college, and I knew I did not want to pay 120$ and buy one at the store here on campus or go to walmart or something of the sort and pay something similar. I found this calculator from a seller here on Ebay, and was able to get this calculator, which is better than the one I would have gotten if I had to go to a store here and purchase one. I was able to get this calculator for only 26$ and 5.75$ shipping and you know what, it works perfectly and is in pretty decent condition. I couldnt complain.

I bought Texas Instruments TI-86 Graphic Calculator and i impresed whow usefull is the calculator,also it has got lot of features available and it is importand for my studies.

This calculator is probably the best that Texas Instruments has ever made. Unfortunatly they decided to stop production.

It is a programmable calculator that can solve nearly any function you'd want to throw at it. While programming takes a bit of effort, once set up you could go through many science classes without having to work through any formulas.

Also note, many teachers require this one over the TI-89, for various reasons. Some won't allow the 89, so check if you're buying for school.

I like everything about it..the price, the quality, the promptness and above all..the way it works and helps me in my math class.

thank you

I bought this for my high school grandson. It has everything he needs for algebra classes. The school only use TI 83 model and I thought this was one that he could use beyond school days.

I use this calculator allot, so when mine stopped functioning I was lost! I searched for one in stores, but found out it was no longer available. I have programs I like to run on the TI-86 so I searched eBay and found one! It was described as gently used, but, it looked almost brand new. Since I am used to the placement and use of this calculator I was ecstatic! I could have bought a new calculator, but, learning the functions of a new one would not have been easy("read I'm to set in my ways")!