Has anyone tried Jian Cheng's 3-reel film developing tank?

[Romanko]

I'm looking for a 3-reel tank and I saw this product from Jian Cheng:

Film Developing Tank 3 Spirals 120 127 135 4x5 B&W Negative Dark Room Processing

Film Developing Tank capacity:135/35mm film: 120 film 220 film 4x5 film,Shop darkroom equipment with SHJCFILM with free shipping worldwide.

shop.shjcfilm.com

I am wondering if someone uses it.

I have one reel from Jian Cheng and I like it (fits AP/Paterson). I also like the clip that prevents the reels from sliding up and down the column when you load only one or two reels.
It also provides possibilities for adapting the tank for wider and long extinct formats (116/616 or even larger).

I am particularly interested in the following:
1) Does it leak? I mean, they all leak but does it leak more than others?
2) How easy is it to attach the lid to the tank? I once cross-threaded the lid on my AP tank. Luckily, it was still light-tight and did not leak.
3) How tightly the lid sits on the tank? I know that I need to be careful with my Jobo 1000 as the lid starts to unscrew as you remove the cap when changing solutions.
4) How fast does it drain? This is not a big problem, but my AP drains much faster then Jobo which in turn is faster than my "Universal" tank built in the USSR.

Finally, has anyone tried putting two 120 type films in one reel using a tiny tab to separate them? To me it looks like more work than using a bigger tank but I never tried it myself so I could be wrong.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I don't have experience with the Jian Cheng, but it looks like an exact copy of the version before current of Paterson tank -- the System 4 as opposed to Super System 4. If you have an AP, the Jian Cheng is likely to interchange some parts.

I've loaded 2x120 in a single reel for years. I don't have any reels with the little clip/insert, I just tape the second film to the first during loading. Use regular masking tape, not the blue painter's tape, as the blue tape will come off in the developer (voice of experience). With the clips it should be easier; just push the first roll to the center, set the clip, and load the second roll as normal. This ought to also work for 127, which is shorter than 120.

 

[Romanko]

it looks like an exact copy of the version before current of Paterson tank -- the System 4

It does look very similar. And System 4 was a good design. I heard of several people who prefer it over the current "Super".

This ought to also work for 127, which is shorter than 120.

This is a great tip! 127 should be easier to load as well. Two rolls in one spool should be no problem.
I don't shoot this format, only develop some random rolls of found film. I might give it a go one day if I find a good working camera.

 

[bluechromis]

I'm looking for a 3-reel tank and I saw this product from Jian Cheng:

Film Developing Tank 3 Spirals 120 127 135 4x5 B&W Negative Dark Room Processing

Film Developing Tank capacity:135/35mm film: 120 film 220 film 4x5 film,Shop darkroom equipment with SHJCFILM with free shipping worldwide.

shop.shjcfilm.com

I am wondering if someone uses it.

I have one reel from Jian Cheng and I like it (fits AP/Paterson). I also like the clip that prevents the reels from sliding up and down the column when you load only one or two reels.
It also provides possibilities for adapting the tank for wider and long extinct formats (116/616 or even larger).

I am particularly interested in the following:
1) Does it leak? I mean, they all leak but does it leak more than others?
2) How easy is it to attach the lid to the tank? I once cross-threaded the lid on my AP tank. Luckily, it was still light-tight and did not leak.
3) How tightly the lid sits on the tank? I know that I need to be careful with my Jobo 1000 as the lid starts to unscrew as you remove the cap when changing solutions.
4) How fast does it drain? This is not a big problem, but my AP drains much faster then Jobo which in turn is faster than my "Universal" tank built in the USSR.

Finally, has anyone tried putting two 120 type films in one reel using a tiny tab to separate them? To me it looks like more work than using a bigger tank but I never tried it myself so I could be wrong.

The clip to keep reels from sliding up seems handy. I have to use spacers on my Paterson tank. I wonder if the Paterson pressure washing hose would fit on the funnel?

 

[bluechromis]

Re: the Jian Cheng claim that it could develop four rolls of 120, the usual caveats about having enough developer per roll of film presumably would apply.

 

[Romanko]

the usual caveats about having enough developer per roll of film presumably would apply

With less then 240 ml of developer per roll in this configuration I would be concerned about it as well. My other tanks require from 300 ml (Paterson Major) to 550 ml (AP) per 120 type roll. I normally use concentrated developers like HC-110(B) and 240 ml might still suffice. If you do full stand development you will certainly need to increase the concentration of the developer. For semi-stand/extreme minimal agitation there is an option of replacing the developer with a fresh solution during development. That said, I'd rather buy a larger tank or develop less rolls and stick to the familiar process.

 

[MattKing]

Concerns like these are some of the many reasons I like using replenished XTol with its minimum 100 ml per roll.

 

[AgX]

As a side note:
The standard reel for the Jobo System 1000 (#1001) also takes type 127 films.

 

[Romanko]

The standard reel for the Jobo System 1000 (#1001) also takes type 127 films.

It's a nice system I use it quite often. The reel takes types 135, 127 and 120.
There are reels for 16 mm film and 4x5 inch sheet film but I am not sure if they are for the current models or could also be used with older System 1000. I am happy with my Jobo 1000, just wanted a larger 3-reel tank.