Rollei Digibase RA-4... Any experience?

[boo_with_camera]

Hi there, I'd like to know if anyone has tried the Rollei Digibase RA-4 printing kit? I've used the Tetenal one, the smaller (2.5 liters), but now it appears that it have been discontinued, and the 5 lt. one is too big for me... Especially I'd like to know if it is usable at lower temp than 38°C, and if there are readly avaliable alternatives to this kit. Thank you very much and... keep film photography alive!
Lorenzo

 

[hrst]

Kodak chemicals also work perfectly at room temperature, at least for Kodak paper. Tetenal 5 liter kit is probably the same in this regard. Only the 2.5 liter size was adjusted for lower temperatures.

But wait, what, Tetenal has discontinued the 2.5 liter kit?? If it's true, I can only say; I've been waiting for this day! It's quite rare that any discontinuation might do good for film photography, but this time it's true; this will mean end for endless hours of pain and bad results in darkroom with defective product, while market is still full of good alternatives that work! Buy the 5 liter version. It has separate parts for blix that are mixed by user, so it probably works unlike the 2.5 liter one. At least I'd guess, I haven't tried it.

Or, buy Kodak chemicals. You get 4 x 5 liter kits at almost the same price as Tetenal 5 liters:
http://www.ag-photographic.co.uk/kodak-ra4-developer-kit-4x5l-295-p.asp
http://www.ag-photographic.co.uk/kodak-ra4-blix-kit-4x5l-296-p.asp

This has been tried by many people at room temperature (as low as 20 deg.C) and it works. There are reports that Fuji paper might not work at lowest temperatures, but it's not been verified. This may well be true also for Tetenal 2.5 liter kit!

Cannot say anything about the Rollei kit, but hope this still helps. Kodak is cheap enough and lasts very long because it's packaged as four separate sealed 5 liter "kits".

 

[Aurelien]

I use it at 38°C in my old KIS MAGNUM PRO. It's a perfect and very stable chemistry

 

[boo_with_camera]

Thank you for the replies. I'll look for the Kodak chemicals.
I've tried the Tetenal 2.5 lt kit, but I've had always very good results. I think I've been lucky, because I've read of a lot of people not satisfied with that blix kit... Who knows? I used it at around 25°C, so I guessed if I could use another kit at that temp, even if I could use an heater if that's not possible...
Thank you again!