While the biggest question about preferences in our industry isn’t about which calculator truss designers prefer, this month’s topic is just that. Over the past 20+ years, JobLine has run a survey asking Truss Designers what their calculator of choice is. While there are many preferences, we focus on the trig calculators used by most of the industry’s design professionals.
This is not the first, nor the last, time we will run this survey as favorites come and go. Some exchange places based on the most popular software, while others are influenced by the size of a department or company. In the past, the Component Systems Institute created a trend by including a Jobber calculator in its Truss Designer Training class. Today, as in past years, the top three are still HP, Jobber, and Construction Master. Here’s how they line up.
First, we asked which format designers preferred. With most of the top calculators available as a phone app, this is the first time that choice has been included. Handheld calculators are still the top preference, which usually is followed by desktop calculators, but this time the Phone App came in second.
Next up, we asked which calculator truss designers preferred. As before, Construction Master took a sizable lead, followed by Jobber, and the TI. The handful of “other” responses we received were for HP and a few other brands.
So, there you have it—JobLine’s Calculator Preference Survey. Are the results what you would have expected? Is your choice at the top of the list? How does your preference measure up to the competition?
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