The Hewes reel looks interesting and might be very helpful. The question is: Is this extra help worth double the price?
In a word: Yes! My first SS reels were non-Hewes models, and I had troubles loading them. Note that "troubles" can mean that the film touches itself, which results in undeveloped parts of the emulsion, which ruins one or more frames. How many shots are you willing to lose? Since getting my Hewes reels, I've never had trouble loading my film. (Except for a couple of early attempts, when I mistakenly tried to load it in the backwards direction, which obviously didn't work well!) Unless you're
very cash-strapped, paying the extra $8 is well worth it.
A suggestion: Get one of each and see which you like best. If you prefer one over the other, you can always buy another.
Offhand, I can't think of a single post here or elsewhere from anybody who prefers "generic" SS reels to Hewes SS reels. Kindermans get mentioned as being good, too, but in a Hewes-vs.-generic survey, I expect that the Hewes would win with 100% of the vote, or very close to it.
The topic that does divide people is SS vs. plastic. Some prefer SS and others prefer plastic. Plastic tanks and reels have a reputation for being easier to learn, but experienced people can have strong preferences in one direction or the other. Plastic tanks and reels tend to be less expensive than SS tanks and reels, so if you're on a tight budget, you might want to start with plastic rather than SS. Personally, I prefer either of the two plastic tanks and reels I've got (one AP -- the same brand that Freestyle sells as its house brand -- and one Russian-made tank) to my generic SS reels, but I prefer my Hewes reels to any of my plastic reels. The tanks are a minor factor compared to the reels, but the tanks do have their own advantages and disadvantages independent of the reels. Plastic tanks are generally designed to enable fluid temperatures to be taken during processing, whereas SS tanks aren't designed in this way. Plastic tanks usually take more solution than SS tanks, giving SS tanks a modest long-term economic advantage.
Also, think about getting two tanks: A tank that holds two 35mm reels and a single tank for one 35mm reel for those times when you want to process just one roll.
I wouldn't bother with the single-35mm-roll tank. You can develop a single roll of film in a double-35mm-roll tank, using the same volume of chemicals you'd using in a single-roll tank. I normally just put an empty reel on top of the one that holds the film to keep the reel from moving around, and I've never had a problem that I've even suspected to be caused by this procedure. I've even forgotten the empty top reel a few times, with no discernible negative effects.
