Cinestill TCS1000 IMMERSION HEATER

[Kilgallb]

Has anyone used the cinestill TCS1000 immersion heater. Myanova failed so I thought I might replace it with this.

 

[mshchem]

Never used one. Very mixed reviews on B&H. These are quite inexpensive. They look cool.

 

[Meinrad]

Hi, I am using one since about 1/2 a year, about 5 to 10 rolls of film a month.
Works good, actual water temperature is about 1.2 degree Celsius higher than displayed, but its ok when you know.
Makes C41 and E6 much more easier for me, but i always measure developer temperatur before pouring it into the Jobo.
So, i can recommend it!

 

[koraks]

Has anyone used the cinestill TCS1000 immersion heater.

Plenty of people use a sous vide stick, which this basically is. I never used the CineStill, but use a generic sous vide once in a while. Works fine. Costs about 1/3 of the CineStill. Does the same.

 

[Richard Man]

I actually use it in conjunction with the JOBO to heat up the water faster and to heat up additional wash water. My only complaint is that the soft switch is not as convenient to use as a physical switch. It's probably more expensive than a generic sous vide but it does have convenient 39 degree setting for C41.

 

[bags27]

I use our sous vide, and pls don't tell my wife!

 

[Chuck1]

Submersible aquarium heaters work too

 

[AnselMortensen]

I had a Cinestill one, it was too big and top-heavy for all my containers, and I don't process color...so it was just "too much" for my needs.
I used it once to mix a gallon of D-23 and sold it on.

 

[synhare]

I had one and ended up giving it away. In concept, it is a solid tool.
My complains were:

The bottle holders are very flimsy and didn't stop my half-full bottles from floating. And they only work with the accordion style bottles.
The clamp was very rigid and required that the wall of whatever vessel you were using to be thin and perfectly vertical.

For the price it was okay. A sous vide from Amazon can be had for cheaper.

 

[Randy Stewart]

Best value is probably the similar unit sold on the Film Photographers Project (FPP) website for about 60% the price of the Cinestill unit. Its only problem is that FPP usually sells out its stock fairly quickly and will then be "out of stock" for months at a time. Right now, they are "in". Personally, I still use the "two 6-pack" insulated cooler and fish tank heater I first started with about 45 years ago. I have a professional grade photo immersion heater/circulator, acquired for cheap in the late 1980s, but the beer cooler is easier to set up. I did discover one problem in using a fish tank heater when I went to check them out some 25 years ago. Their maximum temperature is no longer high enough to maintain a 105 F status. Maybe if you hunt around?????

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I also use a sous vide... but it's mine, not my wife's