Looking at Ebay UK, Beselers are not common, I do see a number of Durst, Rollie, and LP, I have a LP 6700 with color head it is a very nice enlarger, well made, easy to use. There are many I have no experience with. If you have a line on the Besesler I would give it some thought. One the 23C are pretty rugged, they were common in high school and collage darkrooms, 2 bellows, you need a second condenser, easy to keep in alignment, the XL has the tall column for up to 16X20 (inch) enlargements on the base. What you need to look for are the negative carriers, you need the 35mm, 6X7 and 6X9 along with a set of lens. Here in the U.S you can find 3D printed negative carriers.
Thank you for taking the time to look at EbayUK. It seems the Beselers are more common in the US. It says "single condenser system" ( on the ad for the one I have in mind)- does that mean I don't need any other condensers? The neg holders are always the issue with me, they often fail to grip the negative securely enough, although the Beseler ones look pretty simple and effective.
The 23C has a "ZOOM" condenser -- you move it to the correct position for the film format you are using.
And Beseler made carriers for evey format imaginable. EZ to find.
The single condenser system refers to the Beseler system of moving the negative stage closer or further away from the condenser lenses, thereby eliminating the need for separate condenser sets for different formats. This of course only applies to the condenser heads. My old Durst 6x6 enlarger used the bottom of the upper condenser as part of the negative carrier, adding more glass surfaces to collect dust. I never got a dust free print out of it, but I was a kid working out of a closet, so that might have had something to do with it. I am now fanatic about dust in my darkroom and use the glass carrier in my Beseler 45 often with no issues. If it is easier to get bits and pieces for the Durst in your part of the world, all other things being equal, I would go with it. Here in the US Beselers are ubiquitous and all the bits and pieces are easy to come by when you need them.
I am in the market for a black and white enlarger. I have currently seen two that fit my requirements: first is a
BESELER 23CII-XL and the second is a
Durst M805 B&W Enlarger With Universal Carrier.
Curious to know what folk's opinions of these two. I will print 35mm but mostly 6x7 occasionally 6x9 but this isn't a deal breaker.
I will be printing on Ilford multigrade warmtone FB
If you have experience with an alternative enlarger that you can recommend, I would be grateful of your input.
Very many thanks
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