Best 35mm Developing Reels

[Huram]

Quick question -- what are the best 35mm developing reels to use when developing film in a canistar/tank? I mean what type of reel will most easily prevent any bends in the the negative, finger prints, etc. A different question -- what are the easiest to use? I have used the set stainless steel ones and the auto loading reels (the rachet, ball-bearing type). I have had better results with the latter. Are there other options out there? What is the best way to go? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Huram

 

[Ian Grant]

Paterson.

I have about a dozen, ranging from 1 spiral 35mm sized to about 8 or 10 spiral sized tanks, the beauty is the reels can be expaned to 120.

Scrtaching head I guess Ive been using their tanks nearly 40 yrs, and so easy to load as well.

 

[titrisol]

second the patersons!
I also have a plastic KALT reel which works very well.

 

[TPPhotog]

Paterson and if you live in the UK soaking in Mr Muscle Bathroom Cleaner gets rid of any build-up of gunge

 

[Flotsam]

I don't like plastic. I was forced to use them while I was using my Jobo CPE2 and found them slow at best and infuriating at worst.
I'm thrilled at going back to inversion in stainless steel. Stainless reels are fast to load and I am still using the same ones that my Father used, and taught me to use 35 years ago (when I took a youthful 'brief' interest in the hobby of photography ).

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Hewes, stainless steel. Practice with stainless, and they're quicker and you don't need them to be absolutely dry when you want to do multiple batches of film in succession like plastic.

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

I prefer Hewes or Kindermann stainless steel reels for both 35mm and 120. On the rare occasions when I use plastic reels, I use Jobo.

 

[fingel]

I like Hewes reels. They are stainless and have a couple of sprocket grabbing "teeth" at the core instead of the typical spring thingy that always mangles my film. They also seem better built than my other reels plastic or stainless.

 

[Foto Ludens]

Another vote for Hewes... They are hands down the best SS reels out there. Those clips (which hook into the film's sprockets) will quickly let you know if you have the film crooked in the reel.

I've never used plastic reels, so I can't comment on them.

BTW, Freestly has the Hewes reels on very good prices... Last time I bought a couple, it was from them. IIRC, I looked on ebay, adorama, and B&H, and Freestyle had the best prices and shipping.

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_prod.php?cat_id=&pid=1419

Good luck,

André

 

[Flotsam]

Whoa! Flashback!
Does anyone remember those Kodak Plastic aprons? You wound your film together with them and they provided separation with their crimped edges. As I remember, they also made uneven development virtually unavoidable . I once taught a basic photography course and the darkroom only had those for processing. It was the only time that I ever used, or even saw them.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I think there is a version of those made currently, maybe in Spain, and Freestyle sells them, if I remember correctly.

 

[Flotsam]

I've never used Hewes, but the the most difficult thing about loading SS reels is getting it started centered and straight. It sounds as if they have come up with way to address that problem.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Here ya go, Neal--

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_prod.php?cat_id=&pid=5628

 

[titrisol]

Yep, they were way cool!
I used to have those for 70mm development for laboratory (electroforesis picuteres) and such

Whoa! Flashback!
Does anyone remember those Kodak Plastic aprons? You wound your film together with them and they provided separation with their crimped edges. As I remember, they also made uneven development virtually unavoidable . I once taught a basic photography course and the darkroom only had those for processing. It was the only time that I ever used, or even saw them.

 

[Flotsam]

Here ya go, Neal--

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_prod.php?cat_id=&pid=5628

David,
That is hilarious! They describe them in nostalgic terms as if they were corset stays or buggy whips. They even used the word "flashback"

Thanks, now I know where to stock up on them

 

[Lee Shively]

I agree with the Hewes reels. Excellent. But I own more of the cheap, generic stainless reels than anything else. As long as they are not bent, they work fine.

 

[Konical]

Good Evening, Huram,

If you insist on plastic, the Pattersons are the choice. My vote is with stainless steel for the reasons given by others in the posts above. My preference is with Kinderman, due to the spike at the center which positively anchors the film; apparently Hewes reels have a similar feature, but I have never had the opportunity to use them.

Konical

 

[Ed Sukach]

Whoa! Flashback!
Does anyone remember those Kodak Plastic aprons? You wound your film together with them and they provided separation with their crimped edges. As I remember, they also made uneven development virtually unavoidable . I once taught a basic photography course and the darkroom only had those for processing. It was the only time that I ever used, or even saw them.

Are you describing the Kodak "Readyload" Developing tank? - Daylight loading - no darkroom necessary?

WORST pice of unreliable *JUNK* I ever had the distinct misfortune to encounter. It gave me a great deal of pleasure to take my "Marquis De Sade Signature Model" to my local rifle range and put the devil-spawned ^$*^@#$ thing out of its misery. Never were pieces of plastic flying through the air so satisfying!

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

Good Evening, Huram,

If you insist on plastic, the Pattersons are the choice. My vote is with stainless steel for the reasons given by others in the posts above. My preference is with Kinderman, due to the spike at the center which positively anchors the film; apparently Hewes reels have a similar feature, but I have never had the opportunity to use them.

Konical

I use both Hewes and Kindermann Stainless Steel reels. I prefer the Hewes film clamp to the Kindermann spike. The Hewes film clamp is less destructive.

 

[Flotsam]

Are you describing the Kodak "Readyload" Developing tank? - Daylight loading - no darkroom necessary?

No. David nailed it [ http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_prod.php?cat_id=&pid=5628 ].

Years ago I got an Agfa daylight-load tank when I bought a used Mamiya C-33 that I tried a few times. I don't know if it is the same, but to this day, there is a hole in the sheet rock in the hallway wall directly opposite from the doorway to my darkroom that is the exact size and shape of that tank. I guess our experiences with "no darkroom necessary" tanks were similar.

 

[Loose Gravel]

I liked SS, but went to Paterson plastic reels when I had "surge" problems. By that, I mean I had more development near the edges of the film caused by eddies around the SS reels.

 

[mobtown_4x5]

Hewes Hewes Hewes Hewes .

"Marquis De Sade Signature Model" .... HA!!!!

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

I liked SS, but went to Paterson plastic reels when I had "surge" problems. By that, I mean I had more development near the edges of the film caused by eddies around the SS reels.

I do not have that problem with the pre-wet procedure, developers and agitation methods that I use.

 

[Helen B]

Maybe you should consider Hewes reels. Has anyone mentioned them yet?

Seriously now. They may have got round the problem of alignment with those hooky things, and they may be available for standard Jobo 1500 series tank cores, but they haven't got round the old 'hair caught in the spiral' problem. Trust me on this.

Best,
Helen

 

[Justin Low]

As a sidenote, how exactly does one use those 'aprons'?