Kentmere Chemicals

Jennifer · Jun 4, 2007

Hi,
I just seen on Freestyle, Kentmere chemicals. They have some liquid fix, dev, HCA, stop. They even mention direct replacements for Kodak chemicals.
Intresting....

Jennifer

Uncle Bill · Jun 5, 2007

Interesting. I wonder if it will show up on Canadian store shelves.

Michel Hardy-Vallée · Jun 5, 2007

The funny thing is that one of their product is Kentmere Rapid Selenium Toner. In other words, KRST. Good thing we won't need to edit our language in the future...

Shawn Dougherty · Jun 5, 2007

The product descriptions actually state "Kentmere black & white processing chemicals have been developed with the same or similar formulations as Kodak chemicals for less!" Sounds good to me.

I'm going to take a look at thier Brown Toner and KRST. I like thier paper and I'd rather support them than Kodak at this point.

Nick Zentena · Jun 5, 2007

I think all the companies over time have made versions of D-72,D-76 and all the other popular Kodak formulas. Most of the Kodak formulas were standards.

psvensson · Jun 8, 2007

Judging by the descriptions, these are eerily similar to Kodak chemicals. I wonder if maybe Kodak chemicals are made by a third party, and Freestyle has struck a deal with that manufacturer to private-label the products. They're not even listed on the Kentmere site, so it seems the mind behind this is Freestyle.

PHOTOTONE · Jun 12, 2007

psvensson said:
Judging by the descriptions, these are eerily similar to Kodak chemicals. I wonder if maybe Kodak chemicals are made by a third party, and Freestyle has struck a deal with that manufacturer to private-label the products. They're not even listed on the Kentmere site, so it seems the mind behind this is Freestyle.

Indeed you may be correct, as Kodak (some time back) sold its chemical production plant to another photo chemical manufacturer, and now they make all of Kodak's chemistry for them., so it would be a logical assumption to think that they could make almost identical chemicals under private label for others, particularly if the patents had expired.

kiku · Aug 29, 2007

Jennifer said:
Hi,
I just seen on Freestyle, Kentmere chemicals. They have some liquid fix, dev, HCA, stop. They even mention direct replacements for Kodak chemicals.
Intresting....
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer:
I just checked Freestyle's web site and the MSD sheets for the various "Kentmere" photo chemicals. They are manufactured here in the U.S.A. by Photo Systems, Inc. Photo Systems? Who are they? Can you say "Unicolor"?
Only speculation here, but Freestyle and Kentmere may have an agreement and the chemicals are mfg. here, marketed as Kentmere brand, ripping off and undercutting Kodak.

Cordially, Howard Tanger

Ian Grant · Aug 30, 2007

kiku said:
ripping off and undercutting Kodak.

Cordially, Howard Tanger

How can manufacturing and marketing Photo-chemicals be "ripping off Kodak" ?

All manufacturers make similar products, D76 - ID-11 and an equivalent from scores of others, HC110 - Ilfotech HC, Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner - Harman Selenium Toner, the list is endless particularly when it comes to developers, & fixers.

Ian

CBG · Aug 30, 2007

"ripping off Kodak"

It's pretty much like the endless chains of accusations in the computer industry -

If I remember correctly it went something like this - M$ft ripped off Apple. But Apple ripped off another research lab, but they had ripped off DARPA, who....

Please don't correct me if I have the particular details wrong - I have no intent to make this a this computer vs that computer thread, the point is that many of the processes and technologies that culminated in the toners, developers etc. we use today, got started in a million independent darkrooms and then were elaborated and perfected and made marketable, often by the several major players - Kodak, Agfa, Ilford, Fuji, or by one of the dozens of second tier platers like DuPont, Edwal, GAF......

Point is that Kodak entered the business after many basic concepts were already in use, so they and the rest have been the shared beneficiaries of toning, developers, fixation etc... I note that not to belittle the huge improvements Kodak made to the industry and science, but to say it's hard to "rip off" concepts like toning.

Best,

C

Jim Chinn · Aug 30, 2007

I don't care who makes what for whom. If there is another option out there for over the counter chemistry and it is competitive price wise then it's good for us.

Paul Howell · Aug 30, 2007

The whole point to competition is to bring about lower prices and improve quality which is why patents are usally time limited. If another manufacture can make equalivant products at a lower cost good for me. Illford, Fuji, Ansco, Clayton, and many others made a D 76 or Dectol clone.

fotch · Aug 30, 2007

What no one can "rip off" from Kodak (only they can give it away) is their reputation, reliability, and the piece of mind the customer gets when buying their chemicals, film, etc. Thats worth something, for each buyer to decide.

Availability is also important and it use to be in favor of companies like Kodak. This has changed a lot.

DeanC · Aug 30, 2007

CBG said:
If I remember correctly it went something like this - M$ft ripped off Apple. But Apple ripped off another research lab, but they had ripped off DARPA, who....

Xerox PARC. HTH.

Neanderman · Aug 30, 2007

CBG;513739 If I remember correctly it went something like this - M$ft ripped off Apple. But Apple ripped off <Xerox PARC> said:
That's pretty much it.

joneil · Sep 1, 2007

Back to Kentmere - if that's not off topic - I notice my local camera store here is now stock a decent supply of Kentmere papers. Apparently Kentmere has a new distributor in Canada, and it is so very nice to have a local camera store that is maybe a 5 minute drive away stocking Kentmere papers.

I haven't seen any Kentmere chemistry, but I plan to ask.

I am always on the lookout for a better paper developer. Any particular Kentmere paper developer people might reccomend?
thanks

joneil · Sep 1, 2007

Back to Kentmere - if that's not off topic - I notice my local camera store here is now stock a decent supply of Kentmere papers. Apparently Kentmere has a new distributor in Canada, and it is so very nice to have a local camera store that is maybe a 5 minute drive away stocking Kentmere papers.

I haven't seen any Kentmere chemistry, but I plan to ask.

I am always on the lookout for a better paper developer. Any particular Kentmere paper developer people might reccomend?
thanks

Kentmere Chemicals

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