Reels to fit jobo 1500 series tanks

muhco3 · 2026-01-21T05:44:56-0500

Hello

Well , here goes nothing ...

I don't like the jobo 1500 reels because they are pain in the ass to load , so is there an alternative plastic reels with ball bearing like the patersons reels ? I'm using CPE2 processor .

I tried other reels ike the Kaiser but they don't fit too .

The paterson reel loads quickly and smoothly , whereas the jobo takes time and you need to fumble with it for a while in the dark , which result in scratches in the emulsion .

koraks · 2026-01-21T05:51:23-0500

I agree the Paterson reels are a breeze to load, but I personally don't have much problem with the Jobo reels. Most of the time I use them for 35mm which overall loads a lot easier than 120, but 120 I also don't struggle with too much.

I do find there are a few 'tricks' to it:
* Ensure the reels are absolutely perfectly cracker dry
* Film tends to curl in on itself; I find it really helps to bend the leading edge back a bit so it doesn't 'bite' into the reel
* Clipping the corners on the leading edge of the film makes a world of difference.

muhco3 · 2026-01-21T05:54:56-0500

koraks said:
I agree the Paterson reels are a breeze to load, but I personally don't have much problem with the Jobo reels. Most of the time I use them for 35mm which overall loads a lot easier than 120, but 120 I also don't struggle with too much.

I do find there are a few 'tricks' to it:
* Ensure the reels are absolutely perfectly cracker dry
* Film tends to curl in on itself; I find it really helps to bend the leading edge back a bit so it doesn't 'bite' into the reel
* Clipping the corners on the leading edge of the film makes a world of difference.

Yes mostly I use it for 120 and its dry

I'll try clipping to corners and see what happens

I found some Chinese reels on eBay that has ball bearings , have any one tried it ?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1863878980...SItemDRV2_BP&_trksid=p4375194.c102726.m162918

koraks · 2026-01-21T06:07:45-0500

Especially on 120 I find that folding the leading edge back a little to counter the natural inward curl of the film makes a major difference. Give it a shot. Clipping the corners is nothing short of crucial IMO.

Can't comment on the alternative reels as I've never felt the need to replace my Jobo reels.

muhco3 · 2026-01-21T06:17:51-0500

koraks said:
Especially on 120 I find that folding the leading edge back a little to counter the natural inward curl of the film makes a major difference. Give it a shot. Clipping the corners is nothing short of crucial IMO.

Can't comment on the alternative reels as I've never felt the need to replace my Jobo reels.

I'll try that , thank you

Don_ih · 2026-01-21T06:51:55-0500

koraks said:
Especially on 120 I find that folding the leading edge back a little to counter the natural inward curl

I do exactly that, also (as well as clip the corners - it's actually better to round the corners, since even the obtuse pointy edge on the side of the film can catch on one of those ribs). I wish the Jobo spiral was a little less tight, since I often get 120 film touching itself somewhere (making an undeveloped blob) - mostly due to my using pretty old 120 film. It's much less likely with fresh film.

As for the reel on ebay, I'd be concerned how well it friction fit on the centre - especially if using rotation. I have a Jobo knock-off tank that is fine except the centre is too small to friction fit the spools - so that would make the spools not rotate properly. However, I have a knock-off 4x5 reel that fits perfectly. So I'd think it's a roll of the dice. The price looks ok.

muhco3 · 2026-01-21T06:54:22-0500

Don_ih said:
I do exactly that, also (as well as clip the corners - it's actually better to round the corners, since even the obtuse pointy edge on the side of the film can catch on one of those ribs). I wish the Jobo spiral was a little less tight, since I often get 120 film touching itself somewhere (making an undeveloped blob) - mostly due to my using pretty old 120 film. It's much less likely with fresh film.

As for the reel on ebay, I'd be concerned how well it friction fit on the centre - especially if using rotation. I have a Jobo knock-off tank that is fine except the centre is too small to friction fit the spools - so that would make the spools not rotate properly. However, I have a knock-off 4x5 reel that fits perfectly. So I'd think it's a roll of the dice. The price looks ok.

yes the fit of the Chinese reels might pose an issue with the original core and tank ,

I wonder if anyone have tried it

Don_ih · 2026-01-21T06:58:39-0500

muhco3 said:
the fit of the Chinese reels

Look at it this way: if you buy it and it isn't made correctly, you can send it back and get a full refund. It's pretty low risk in that regard.

(I don't mean send it back if you don't like using it. That's just frivolous. People sell that stuff to make money, so they shouldn't be ripped off due to it not matching your preference. Not being made properly, on the other hand - it shouldn't be sold.)

pentaxuser · 2026-01-21T10:42:35-0500

muhco3, in addition to the tips given try running a lead(graphite) pencil( high B rating such as 8 or 9) around the reel. I found it makes the film slide around the reel much more easily One more trick: the reel opening has a shaped lead-in on both sides so get these level with each other then push the leader of the film into that opening for a very short distance and hold it there while walking to the light switch and extinguishing the light. Feel you way back to the posítion of the tank, its top, reel funnel etc and push the film all the way round the reel. Re-assemble the tank

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Reels to fit jobo 1500 series tanks

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Reels to fit jobo 1500 series tanks

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