Kodak XTOL trade concern announcment

toyoboyo

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FWIW, I just received a new batch from Freestyle. It's a new design with what looks like foil and has Sinopromise on the packaging.
 

radiant

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FWIW, I just received a new batch from Freestyle. It's a new design with what looks like foil and has Sinopromise on the packaging.

So I have received pre-plastic bag version then. Wonder where they have digged up old bags Or maybe it was from Fotoimpex secret stashes!
 

removedacct1

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Its very disappointing to see that they are shipping new product to retailers before replacing product purchased by end users many months ago. I don't plan on buying Kodak chemistry from this point forward - I'll make my own stuff from scratch. Plenty of excellent recipes to use, and several I like even better than Xtol. So I guess Kodak did me a favor.
 

MattKing

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Some of the product replacement is being done through those retailers, with whom they at least have already in existence systems for providing product. So I have no problem with product appearing there quickly if they are also in the process of getting product out to individuals in very short order.
 

removedacct1

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When I emailed KA/Sino recently, I got a response that said "All XTOL replacement orders are in the system and will be shipped. No date for shipping is available.", which I interpret to mean "It'll happen eventually, not sure when though".
 

MattKing

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When I emailed KA/Sino recently, I got a response that said "All XTOL replacement orders are in the system and will be shipped. No date for shipping is available.", which I interpret to mean "It'll happen eventually, not sure when though".
As the shipping will probably be through all the individual international offices, I expect the receipt times will vary throughout the world.
 

pentaxuser

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FWIW, I just received a new batch from Freestyle. It's a new design with what looks like foil and has Sinopromise on the packaging.
If I were SinoPromise then in order to signal a change I'd want to have a new design that I presume drops the name Kodak. The chemicals are nothing to do with Kodak anyway and I am sure that the problems of what is hopefully the past are not ones that the current Kodak company , a film manufacturer only, would want associated with its name

pentaxuser
 

Donald Qualls

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On the other hand, since they're using a Kodak-owned trademark product name, their license agreement probably requires them to include the Kodak name and logo and colors on the packaging.
 

MattKing

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Still has the Kodak Alaris website address, so these were created prior to Sino Promise getting their Kodak Professional website up and running.
It also has "Made in USA", which is a change from the last, "trade issue" "Made in Germany" product.
 

ADOX Fotoimpex

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So I have received pre-plastic bag version then. Wonder where they have digged up old bags Or maybe it was from Fotoimpex secret stashes!
No, we destroyed all remaining "trade concern"-XTOL and we took back customers product as well. The new XTOL was sent by Kodak for replacing customers like you. From our first impression they are better than the trade concern batches and thus we forewarded them. All shipping and handling was covered by FOTOIMPEX btw. We also offered a refund if people did not want to wait for their replacement. I agree with Matt that sending product to dealers is probably the fastest way to get it to those who are affected since we have end user distribution in place.
 

pentaxuser

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Well I may have misunderstood Jonathan what I thought was the just of his posts but the new packaging still emphasises Kodak as In "Kodak Professional Xtol". The reference to SinoPromise appears to be minor by comparison.

pentaxuser
 

MattKing

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Top of the Chemicals page on the Sino Promise Kodak webpage:



And here is the bottom:

 

cjbecker

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I use photographers formulary for all my chemicals now.

I don’t know. Am I a bad person if this is just one step too far away from the old Kodak and I drop their chemicals? I’ve used D-76, Dektol, XTOL forever.
 

mshchem

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They would drop XTOL before they would drop Kodak. Kodak (the brand) is the only thing of value. The color negative paper that had been made in Harrow, then Colorado by Carestream for US and EU(?) was a premium product. I'm not going to go out of my way to buy a China made "Kodak" color negative paper. It's a whole new ballgame now. I have enough Tetenal XTOL I won't be rushing out to buy anything. But I wouldn't be likely to be buying a Sino product. Lately I've been using Adox Rodinal, which is a GREAT developer.
 

gone

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I think you're a smart person if you move on from Kodak. I've posted the results of mixing up fresh Dektol and D76 (from 2 different vendors), but basically the Dektol was tossed because it looked like coffee, and the D76 I have here is more of a tea color. It might be OK, might not.

No one from Kodak has answered my emails, so I'm also going to go w/ whatever I can replace them w/ from Photographers' Formulary. Kodak still hasn't screwed up Tri-X though.....not yet anyway. Just give 'em time.
 

mshchem

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Still has the Kodak Alaris website address, so these were created prior to Sino Promise getting their Kodak Professional website up and running.
It also has "Made in USA", which is a change from the last, "trade issue" "Made in Germany" product.
Very strange. Kodak Alaris website, made in USA for Sino Promise, with the UK address of Alaris, and the Rochester office of Alaris. May be that Sino Promise is retaining the few employees left in the appropriate time zones??
 

grat

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Who knows? Who cares. Everyone seems to forget that Kodak went bankrupt years ago, and they're no longer a multi-billion global concern with a near lock on the film photography industry-- because the film photography industry of that era doesn't exist any more. Expecting Kodak, Ilford, Adox, Tetanal, or anyone else to behave like nothing's changed is just mental.

We've gone from consumers of a mainstream global industry to a niche market. Expecting anything other than bumps along the way is naive.

Use what you want. I'm just tired of people whining that Kodak isn't like it was when George Eastman ran it.

I do know that not supporting the existing film / chemical companies will not lead to any new products being developed or delivered.
 

Sirius Glass

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You are missing the point that the anti Kodak rants have nothing to do with logic and facts. They are on an emotional roller coaster and they need a target to bitch about. Please do not introduce facts to the discussions about how they will never buy a Kodak product and how the are going to erase the word "Kodak" from their computers, iPads, phones, books, papers, ...
 

john_s

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You are missing the point that the anti Kodak rants have nothing to do with logic and facts. ...

Fact: I've been using Kodak products for over 50 years.
Fact: Lately some of the Kodak products are poorly manufactured and are not satisfactory.
Logic: I buy alternative products now.
 

MattKing

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May be that Sino Promise is retaining the few employees left in the appropriate time zones??
As I understand it, they have retained the Kodak Alaris employees (most of whom were former employees of Eastman Kodak or the many international subsidiaries of Eastman Kodak).
The former zip code of Kodak Alaris in Rochester NY - their international headquarters - continues to be the zipcode of the Kodak Professional unit employees at Sino Promise.
 

grat

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You are missing the point that the anti Kodak rants have nothing to do with logic and facts.

I know. I come to the internet, expecting reason and logic.

I've even been burned by "new" Kodak (Anyone want some bad D76 to play with?)-- although they responded promptly to me, and replaced my product for free. The fact that most of the XTOL complaints have gone largely unanswered is poor customer service, regardless of who's writing the paycheck.

But that doesn't mean once the bad batches have cycled out, I won't try XTOL at some point. Or, if it ever becomes available in the USA, I may try some of the new Adox definitely-not-XTOL. I have no particular brand loyalty-- Mixing my own seems ridiculous at the current rate I'm shooting film, so it's largely who is convenient, and who delivers a working product.

This is a highly volatile, somewhat niche industry at this point-- those who profit will thrive, those who screw themselves out of the business (which is what Kodak did starting in the late 1990's) will disappear.
 

Sirius Glass

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Fact: I've been using Kodak products for over 50 years.
Fact: Lately some of the Kodak products are poorly manufactured and are not satisfactory.
Logic: I buy alternative products now.

There is a big difference between complaining about a production problem and looking for a temporary or permanent replacement versus yelling about never buying unrelated products like film and other chemicals.
 

mshchem

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That's a good thing.
 

radiant

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You got me wrong, of course I assumed this is newly produced chemical.

You did a great work, thank you again FotoImpex!
 
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