This looks good. It will be more expensive than the, before the total screw up on Alaris' last attempts to sell XTOL, but replenished, still cheap, reliable, still cheap. Quality is Economy!Has anyone seen and tried this XTOL alternative from ADOX?
https://www.fotoimpex.com/chemistry/adox-xt-developer-to-mix-1000-ml.html
Not more expensive almost 2.5x more expensive than xtol....This looks good. It will be more expensive than the, before the total screw up on Alaris' last attempts to sell XTOL, but replenished, still cheap, reliable, still cheap. Quality is Economy!
Actually, Ilford is defunct. The black and white photographic materials come from Harman Technolology Ltd., who own a license to use the Ilford brand, and are themselves owned by a venture capital corporation named Pemberstone Ventures Ltd.I have to hand it to companies like Ilford, (owned by Jane Herman’s Group now),
Rollei is a couple of drunkards in a basement with a printer. They'll plaster that logo on whatever tier-3 emulsion they'll find at a nearby estate sale.
Not more expensive almost 2.5x more expensive than xtol....
I would expect Adox will be competitive in the US through normal distribution channels. 5 L or 4L packages in time. And there's the dust capture bonus.
Use a filter funnel. Ask me how I know.
I did not notice any white particles when I first mixed up a batch of XTOL (later I learned this lot number was on the recall list). Not saying there were no white particles, but if there were, I did not notice. First roll (T-Max 400) developed normally (one shot; discarded after use). A week later, when setting up to develop another roll from the same batch of XTOL, I noticed some suspended white particles. I filtered out the white particles with a coffee filter - and that roll, Fuji Acros II - came out thin. That experience was discussed <here>.Be careful with this.
You can end up with developer that lacks the requisite amount of whatever it is that didn't dissolve properly.
And with respect to Sirius' comment, mixing the developer with warmed water - the instructions tell you the acceptable range - does help it dissolve more quickly, but my sense (based on incomplete info) is that the faulty X-Tol may still not dissolve properly, even with warmed water.
I did not notice any white particles when I first mixed up a batch of XTOL (later I learned this lot number was on the recall list). Not saying there were no white particles, but if there were, I did not notice. First roll (T-Max 400) developed normally (one shot; discarded after use). A week later, when setting up to develop another roll from the same batch of XTOL, I noticed some suspended white particles. I filtered out the white particles with a coffee filter - and that roll, Fuji Acros II - came out thin. That experience was discussed <here>.
No idea if removing the white particles contributed to the thin negatives, or not. I will try a clip test before using any more of this batch of XTOL. If I can get another successful development from this batch, it might suggest removing the particles was at least part of the problem?
Still waiting for replacment XTOL from Sino Promise, since early January.
Yes, Ilford brand analog films and papers are made by the same employees in the same plant.I did not know this. The products are not made in The Ilford plants in The UK?
This can be true. I counted the sheets of film I got in a box of 4x5 RPX 25 and there were only 20 sheets. 5 were missing.I won't use "Rollei" products. Quality control is lacking in my experience. I'd have no issue with with using a Rollei camera (the real company) if the opportunity arose.
When Ilford went bankrupt, some of the employees formed Harman Technology and used it to purchase the license to use the Ilford name and some of the other black and white related assets from the bankruptcy trustee. That included a lease of what you describe as the Ilford plants. They still have that lease.I did not know this. The products are not made in The Ilford plants in The UK?
Buy more material didn’t know this about not filtering Xtol through a funnel. The odd thing is, I never did this at all. I didn’t filter the bad batches that produced thin negatives. Come to think of it, I only filtered The Eco Pro and The Legacy Pro because they were new to me and I had never seen so much undissolved material in my developer before. It didn’t seem to affect the negs at all. Both Eco Pro & Legacy Pro have consistently produced excellent results for me.
One note, nothing to do with the topic. The Japanese company that bought the last of the Ilford Swiss works going after the Ilford moniker for ink jet media, sells a genuine Platinum printing kit, (or it appears on the web last I looked). It's interesting that the Ilford company was willing to sell the AgX business to the UK management. I suspect they thought ink would be the big winner.When Ilford went bankrupt, some of the employees formed Harman Technology and used it to purchase the license to use the Ilford name and some of the other black and white related assets from the bankruptcy trustee. That included a lease of what you describe as the Ilford plants. They still have that lease.
The colour part of Ilford in Switzerland (including Cibachrome/Ilfochrome) was formed out of the rest of what remained of the old, bankrupt Ilford. That entity subsequently also went bankruptcy a few years ago, and as a result the only thing "legal" that remains with Ilford in its name is that license.
Harman Technology also purchased Kentmere, but were subsequently forced to close down the Kentmere manufacturing plant, due to its age and condition, and some related environmental concerns.
Harman Technology does a really good job with what they do. They have had their challenges as well. When their US distributor suddenly went into bankruptcy a couple of years ago, I expect that threatened their existence, because their largest market is the US, and having a distributor go bankrupt usually leaves a manufacturer with a whole bunch of uncollectable receivables.
I post all this not because I don't support and Harman Technology and recommend its products, but instead to point out that there are no players in this industry who don't have serious challenges. Every single player is undergoing change of some sort, and some of the changes don't go well.
Like Kodak Alaris, Harman Technology briefly lost their chemical manufacturer when Tetenal went bankrupt. The new Tetenal seems to have restored Harman's source of supply of those chemicals, so at least for now it looks like Harman made the best choice when they elected to wait out that disruption. Kodak Alaris elected to move production away from the bankrupt Tetenal and move it to US sources. They also elected to revise packaging. Those decisions have not gone well.
Yep, follow the directions. I have a variable speed lighting mixer, with a SS propeller. Attaches to a ring stand. Best $150.00 I ever spent. You don't need it but sure is fun. Just don't whip any air into it.It the water is not warm enough when Solution A is mixed, you will have hard time getting everything into solution. It the pieces are still there when Solution B is mixed, the particles become very hard to get into solution. Just follow the instructions on the packages, using the highest temperatures in the range. Yes, I just said RTFM. You should need to filter and if you filter the developer will be noticeably weaker.
That's hilarious. If they are German drunkards I would think they are drinking a nice smooth beer.Rollei is a couple of drunkards in a basement with a printer. They'll plaster that logo on whatever tier-3 emulsion they'll find at a nearby estate sale.
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