Oh, boy, this is *deeply* confusing -- the Arista E-6 kit doesn't even include stabilizer, it's a three-bath E-6 (first dev, color dev, and blix) plus 2-3 wash steps, of course. It seems like I'm reading that this isn't really even E-6, it's something else that happens to be capable of developing E-6 films (but perhaps not leaving them in a state even as permanent as E-6 ought to be). And further, I'm hearing that there are two diffferent C-41 stabilizers, and the new one can't be used on old films (and what constitutes an "old" film, anyway?).
I think this is why people have been telling me, for the past thirty-five years or so, that color was too complicated to process yourself (or course, when I first heard that, they were talking about E-3 and C-22). Every time you try to get the information you need to do this, you wind up with fourteen answers to a simple question, and no idea how to tell which one applies to your situation, without spending a bunch of money.
Nick, you're right, $58 *is* less than the Arista one-gallon kit (that liquid kit is $67, approximately). But with shipping, $58 in liquid chemicals can quickly turn into a $120 order (because liquids are heavy, plus hazmat charges, plus, plus, plus), and I seem to recall complaints that B&H doesn't tell you shipping until after you've confirmed the order. And do you have *any idea* how long it would take me to use four, 5-gallon jugs of fixer, even if I do use the same for both color and B&W (even if I one-shot it)? Hint: I've got a 5 liter bottle of Polymax RT concentrate here that I've been one-shotting for about six months at 1+7; it's about half gone.
The best list of chemicals in the world isn't much good if I can't find a dealer who both has them and will ship them. Local access is pretty much out in a town of 80,000; even in Raleigh and Charlotte I don't know that I'd expect to find a dealer who carries color chemicals; I'm not even sure what listing to look under in the online yellow pages. The local mini-labs most likely get their stuff from a truck that comes around once a week or so, from a dealer in D.C. or Baltimore or Richmond or Atlanta (I should be so lucky as to find one in Richmond, I could just about drive there and back for what it costs to ship several gallons of liquid).