Cassettes for bulk loading

[cerber0s]

I still have a few (becoming fewer and fewer) of the plastic AP cassettes with a screw on cap. I've had them for almost 20 years, and they've been most excellent. Thinking I needed to boost the supply I ordered five more from a large German retailer, but they all came with light leaks. They kindly sent me five more, free of charge, but they also had the same light leaks at the bottom of the light seal.

I then ordered three metal cassettes from Amazon, they looked good but one was a dud from the start. The other two are accidents waiting to happen (one of them happened today). If you accidentally roll the entire film back into the cassette without leaving the tip out, the cassette needs to be broken open in order to get the film out, thereby destroying the cassette.

Having gotten ten bad plastic AP cassettes recently, and three bad metal ones, I don't know where to look. Do I dare order another few plastic cassettes, hoping there was a bad batch? Is there anything else out there?

 

[Steven Lee]

eBay. I purchased 20 (new old stock) cassettes from Ukraine there. They are metal, made in USSR. Extremely heavy duty, probably the most robust metal cassette I've ever seen. The one catch is that they tend to get stuck inside my Leica M7, but work perfectly fine in other cameras (Nikon and Canon SLRs). The seller I bought from is no longer active, but a quick search reveals others who sell similar looking ones:

Reloadable Metal Film Cassette Type 135 w/Plastic Take-Up Spool 35mm Film Camera | eBay

Price : One cassette; others in photos for reference only. Condition : Looks unused or very lightly used. Photos of the exact item can be provided. Notes : I strive for accuracy, but small details may be missed.

www.ebay.com

 

[cerber0s]

eBay. I purchased 20 (new old stock) cassettes from Ukraine there. They are metal, made in USSR. Extremely heavy duty, probably the most robust metal cassette I've ever seen. The one catch is that they tend to get stuck inside my Leica M7, but work perfectly fine in other cameras (Nikon and Canon SLRs). The seller I bought from is no longer active, but a quick search reveals others who sell similar looking ones:

Reloadable Metal Film Cassette Type 135 w/Plastic Take-Up Spool 35mm Film Camera | eBay

Price : One cassette; others in photos for reference only. Condition : Looks unused or very lightly used. Photos of the exact item can be provided. Notes : I strive for accuracy, but small details may be missed.

www.ebay.com

Excellent, thank you!

 

[koraks]

Is there anything else out there?

I reuse normal ones. I prefer the Fuji cassettes as they're easy to reassemble over and over again, with a little care.

 

[Sandro.m]

I bought plastic cassettes from Macodirect.com. No issue at all afters several years.

 

[Mr Flibble]

I bought plastic cassettes from Macodirect.com. No issue at all afters several years.

Same, got about 20 of the Kaiser ones that I've been using for a few years now.

 

[lamerko]

I don't like plastic cassettes. I have several different types - two old types that the East German concern ORWO supplied with the foil. Also "modern", I think on AP. The first ones are difficult to enter with some cameras, and those of AP are too poor quality. I never dared to use them.
I have a large amount of metal classic cassettes that have "tabs". I don't play with opening them - I just stick the film on the "tab". It works perfectly for me.

 

[guangong]

In the 1960s and 1970s I used to reload with cassettes marketed by Kodak as well as used Agfa and Kodak cassettes, but finally decided that the risk of scratches, etc on negative was not worth the effort. Now I only bulk load Leitz and Zeiss cassettes, where film doesn’t touch cassette’s lip, and cassettes for Minox and Minolta 16.

 

[dynachrome]

Somewhere I have a few of the metal no-felt Nikon cassettes. I will look for them. It would be nice if someone could reproduce the old Agfa or Ilford cassettes. If it is possible to send astronauts to the Space Station, someone should be able to reproduce those cassettes.

 

[dhkirby]

I use a film retriever and re-load regular cassettes, which gives me ones loaded with what they say on the outside. Do we not like that?

Otherwise, all the Ferrania cassettes I've come across are reloadable, and metal.

 

[summicron1]

If you can find some of the old Kodak snap caps, ur in business. A local store had a few boxes of 10 cassettes each and I grabbed one.

That said, I've got some really old cassettes that are, no kidding, upwards of 50 years on and still use them. It's a good idea to use a post-it note to clean the felt every now and then.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Kodak snap caps are probably the best. I have ten new ones sitting here I’d sell you but it probably isn’t worth the postage overseas.

 

[mshchem]

Kodak snap caps are probably the best. I have ten new ones sitting here I’d sell you but it probably isn’t worth the postage overseas.

I bought a couple boxes of ten Kodak Snapcaps a couple years ago at a junk shop. In original packaging. I suspect that our packages look the same

 

[Philippe-Georges]

FOMA sell them in packs of 8: https://fomaobchod.cz/en/photograph...kovovatyp135plast.doza8ksbal[00017]?ItemIdx=4

 

[bernard_L]

FOMA sell them in packs of 8: https://fomaobchod.cz/en/photographersrequirements/metalsnapcapdxcoded/kazetakovovatyp135plast.doza8ksbal[00017]?ItemIdx=4

Would you recommend them from your personal experience? Light tight? No scratch?
Thank you.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

Would you recommend them from your personal experience? Light tight? No scratch?
Thank you.

I haven't used nor held these in my hands, but if these cassettes are the same they use for loading 35mm film in production, then I am confident, FOMA products aren't bad at all.

And I don't shoot 35mm anymore, but in the past I did and shot FOMA film, but now I simply wanted to suggest a solution...

 

[cerber0s]

FOMA sell them in packs of 8: https://fomaobchod.cz/en/photographersrequirements/metalsnapcapdxcoded/kazetakovovatyp135plast.doza8ksbal[00017]?ItemIdx=4

Those look great! Are they reusable, or is the cap stuck once you push it on?

 

[Philippe-Georges]

Those look great! Are they reusable, or is the cap stuck once you push it on?

As far as I understand it these would be reusable.
I think "KAZETA KOVOVÁ" is Czech for METAL CASSETTE.
And they come in those round black plastic containers too, very complete for that price...