Kodak XTOL package from 2010 works fine

Tom Kershaw · Mar 5, 2019

I found an old 'made in USA' XTOL package (expired 2010) and mixed it up over the weekend in steam distilled water, used it today and the developer works as usual. Just a data point to counter some of the XTOL scare stories. The powders and the packaging were in good condition.

Tom

Rudeofus · Mar 5, 2019

XTol longevity was never a case of powder package longevity, but a question of working solution shelf life. This in turn depended strongly on tap water quality, and was particularly annoying to those affected, because it was not apparent and caused complete loss of pics.

pentaxuser · Mar 5, 2019

Tom. the general consensus seems to be that as long as powder developers are unopened and were factory sealed then the powder will last a long time. Some say indefinitely or ,as good as, in the normal span of stuff photographic. So, I am not surprised and it is nice to know that with the recent price increases in the U.K. of all stuff Kodak then we can be fairly sure of being able to purchase enough for 9 years' use

I think the concern of sudden death pertained to stock solution and was largely the bigger packets that were for more than 5L stock . My experience is that Xtol need not be a short-lived solution if stored correctly and the no warning of exhaustion due to no colour change is also false. What I have twice noticed is that once the stock goes a pale straw colour it has at best " lost its edge" - the clip test of an exposed leader does not turn as black as it needs to . At that point I suspect you can still use it but the negs will suffer.

pentaxuser

Tom Kershaw · Mar 5, 2019

I wouldn't particularly recommend the practice, but I've recently used XTOL I mixed back in November 2018. Results were fine but obviously getting to the point of nervousness in terms of reliability.

pentaxuser · Mar 5, 2019

Tom Kershaw said:
I wouldn't particularly recommend the practice, but I've recently used XTOL I mixed back in November 2018. Results were fine but obviously getting to the point of nervousness in terms of reliability.

Tom, in my experience based on the stock solution being poured into winebags, I'd have no concern about Xtol which is only 4 months old. I recently dumped Xtol stored in a winebag that was mixed in January 2016 so a little over 3 years old. It still "blackened" an exposed clip but not quite as black as a clip I had kept from a test done about 6 months ago. I think the prints from such negs would have been acceptable but prudence indicated that I dump it. The Xtol was a pale straw colour and this combined with a clip test will now how I will judge Xtol's efficacy

pentaxuser

Tom Kershaw · Mar 5, 2019

Just for fun I looked up XTOL on the Freestyle Photographic website and spotted it is approximately half the price in the USA, even though the actual product is made in Germany these days. https://www.freestylephoto.biz/8751752-Kodak-XTOL-Powder-Film-Developer-(Makes-5-Liters)

Peter Schrager · Mar 5, 2019

Tom Kershaw said:
Just for fun I looked up XTOL on the Freestyle Photographic website and spotted it is approximately half the price in the USA, even though the actual product is made in Germany these days. https://www.freestylephoto.biz/8751752-Kodak-XTOL-Powder-Film-Developer-(Makes-5-Liters)

Tom you can blame Brexit for the price!! that's the price for sovereignty!!!
only tongue in cheek!!
Best, Peter

tokam · Mar 6, 2019

That's encouraging as I have a package of XTOL of similar vintage stashed away. Haven't seen it for a year or two but It's in a box and I think that the packaging is intact. Time to buy a 5 litre box of Pureau, (pure water in a bladder, similar to a wine box) and get it going. I also have a couple of 1 litre packs of D-76 bought at the same time.

Have been rather lazy the last few years by falling back on HC-110. It's so easy but I don't really like the results on 35mm, cannot seem to get smooth mid-tones - much better with MF.

mshchem · Mar 6, 2019

I just used up the last of my pre bankruptcy XTOL. Works fine. I like the Tetenal made product, it doesn't seem to have the tiny bit of insoluble material. I would always decant the stock. There was always about 100mg ? of little bits, just enough to drive someone like me crazy

When you live in the US everything is cheaper . We just run massive trade deficits and let the rest of the world hold our IOUs . B&H sells XTOL for 9.95 USD free delivery if you buy 50 bucks. The first of the year we have to pay sales tax on Internet sales 6%. Before no tax, zero, nothing. No VAT we just print more dollars. Ilford film is a LOT cheaper in the USA than Britain, figure that out? ?

pentaxuser · Mar 6, 2019

mshchem said:
. B&H sells XTOL for 9.95 USD free delivery if you buy 50 bucks. The first of the year we have to pay sales tax on Internet sales 6%. Before no tax, zero, nothing. No VAT we just print more dollars. Ilford film is a LOT cheaper in the USA than Britain, figure that out? ?

Last week I bought what I think is the cheapest Xtol in the U.K. after checking on about 5 retailers and it was not even 9.95 GBP, it was 12.95 GBP. so about 16.80 USD Have an even nicer day as they say in the U.S.

Difficult to believe that we are not being ripped off by somebody(ies)

pentaxuser

Tom Kershaw · Mar 6, 2019

pentaxuser said:
Last week I bought what I think is the cheapest Xtol in the U.K. after checking on about 5 retailers and it was not even 9.95 GBP, it was 12.95 GBP. so about 16.80 USD Have an even nicer day as they say in the U.S.

Difficult to believe that we are not being ripped off by somebody(ies)

pentaxuser

Which retailer was that? I've seen prices more around the £14-£16 range. I'm fairly sure XTOL was about £8 just a few years ago - 'made in Germany' Tetenal stock not ancient 'USA' product.

mshchem · Mar 6, 2019

pentaxuser said:
Last week I bought what I think is the cheapest Xtol in the U.K. after checking on about 5 retailers and it was not even 9.95 GBP, it was 12.95 GBP. so about 16.80 USD Have an even nicer day as they say in the U.S.

Difficult to believe that we are not being ripped off by somebody(ies)

pentaxuser

We have no VAT. The US dollar is the primary world reserve currency. EXORBITANT PRIVILEGE.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorbitant_privilege

NUTS! There's no discipline to settle balance of trade . Gold was the old fashioned way. Dollars were redeemable in Gold until Nixon. There's trillions of dollars held outside of the US . China's wealthy folks are in the US buying real estate, that's a smart move.

pentaxuser · Mar 6, 2019

Tom Kershaw said:
Which retailer was that? I've seen prices more around the £14-£16 range. I'm fairly sure XTOL was about £8 just a few years ago - 'made in Germany' Tetenal stock not ancient 'USA' product.

Surprisingly Tom, it was the Imaging Warehouse near Stratford Upon Avon which normally is not one of the cheapest but a closer look at its prices suggested to me that it is a lot more competitive than a couple of years ago. I was prompted to do a search because like you I am fairly sure that Xtol was also about £8 or even less if you shopped around a few years ago.

Yes it appears that it is made outside the U.K. and the £ has lost ground against the USD and the Euro but not the extent that justifies this kind of a rise

pentaxuser

Sirius Glass · Mar 6, 2019

Tom Kershaw said:
I found an old 'made in USA' XTOL package (expired 2010) and mixed it up over the weekend in steam distilled water, used it today and the developer works as usual. Just a data point to counter some of the XTOL scare stories. The powders and the packaging were in good condition.

Tom

As I would expect.

Tom Kershaw · Mar 7, 2019

pentaxuser said:
Surprisingly Tom, it was the Imaging Warehouse near Stratford Upon Avon which normally is not one of the cheapest but a closer look at its prices suggested to me that it is a lot more competitive than a couple of years ago. I was prompted to do a search because like you I am fairly sure that Xtol was also about £8 or even less if you shopped around a few years ago.

Yes it appears that it is made outside the U.K. and the £ has lost ground against the USD and the Euro but not the extent that justifies this kind of a rise

pentaxuser

I wouldn't usually think to look at 'Imaging Warehouse', but as you say they look ok. I have plenty of Nova Darkroom kit and tend to think of the business more in that context than for supplies.

Kodak XTOL package from 2010 works fine

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