Readyload and QuickLoad demise, heresay or fact?

I thought the Readyload packaging was finished for good, a couple of years ago. Lucky me I got my hands on three boxes of Readyload in TMax100, one of my favorite films, just last week on eBay. I just shot the last of my E100VS Readyloads two weeks ago. Thinking I saw the last of anything still able to produce good results (I had a box of TMax100 Readyloads that were all fogged last year) but then getting my hands on these TMax100 boxes has me wondering. I don't believe I saw anything Kodak wrote that said they are gone for good. Likely they are, why would they stop and then restart later on?.... but I'm very curious to know what the truth is. Some people I've chatted with didn't even know they were not being made anymore. So, what's the reality?

Strangely, Freestyle and B&H are selling Readyload holders. Nostalgia?

Nobody's got Readyload film or QuickLoad film for sale, new. Does that preclude they are gone for good?

I have not seen an official notice, but it would seem that they are all discontinued. Badger Graphics says to stock up because fuji quickloads are discontinued. I bought a punch of Provia 100F in quickloads from B&H last month. I would have bought velvia 100 as I did in November, but they are all out of that now.

Fuji Quickloads are still available in Japan -- I just ordered 3 boxes of Acros from Japan Exposures not too long ago (expiry dates in late 2012). It's not cheap, but it is fresh film, and available.

BTW Fuji has an updated list of "discontinued" products, but really no films are being discontinued, just certain kinds of packaging (no more 20-roll packs, just 5-roll packs, etc).

mooseontheloose said:

It's not cheap, but it is fresh film, and available.

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10,244 Yen = roughly $123. Yikes! That's expensive stuff! How would I ever justify the expense? I think once I'm done with these TMax100 Readyloads that will be the last for me. Sure do like the no dust negatives. That's why I always preferred to shoot Readyloads.

As others have mentioned, apparently the distribution of Fuji Quickloads is being discontinued in the States, maybe everywhere outside of Japan. No one seems able to find any link to an official notice from Fuji, stating that Quickload production is indeed history, yet.

The story on Kodak Readyloads seems fairly consistent. They are, or have been history for about three years now. Many posters to forums have stated that Kodak's Readyloads, were actually sleeved under a contract with Polaroid. Polaroid had the machinery and the clean room to sleeve the film, at a lower cost then Kodak thought they could. With the demise of Polaroid in 2008, so went the Readyloads.

The Impossible Project is trying to get something in 8X10 instant film, up and running, possibly before the end of this year or early 2012. Absolutely no hint at all, of any attempts by Impossible to produce single sheet, 4X5 instant film.