I have upgraded from the JOBO CPE to the Stark SST4 film processor. This was a leap of faith because there's very little information about these machines on the Internet. Wanted to drop a few notes for those who may be interested.
The advantages:
The machine works with all types of tanks. This is great for the manufacturer so they can serve a bigger market with a single model, but it doesn't work as well as a fully integrated system like a JOBO which firmly holds a tank in place. Instead, SST4 allows you to place a tank anywhere you want by adjusting the placement of roller wheels. All tanks tend to drift during agitation somewhat but regular-sized JOBO tanks like 1520 are nose/top heavy which accelerates this drift. You are supposed to configure one of the wheels to be a stopper, but because it's on one side (one of the rods) its stopping action isn't smooth and a tank wobbles during rotation. I doubt it has any effect on the end results, but makes the overall operation less refined. It works much better with Patterson tanks or longer 1540 JOBOs because they are better balanced.
The SST4 does not have the ability to heat chemistry. There's a bigger brother called SST5 which can. In my case I did not need this feature because I've always preferred using a regular basket with 110-120F water, this saves a lot of time and makes the processor more compact.
My unit is a US model with a corresponding power supply, according to the manual. Yet it came with the euro power cord, perhaps by mistake. It is a standard power cord though, the same kind used by PCs and computer monitors. I had several laying around.
I see it as something in the middle between "junior" JOBOs and the bigger CPP models with electronic temperature control. I wasn't happy with the former and couldn't afford the latter, so it made sense.
TLDR: recommended.
The advantages:
- The primary reason for the upgrade was more accurate and sophisticated temperature control. The near-useless water bath has always been my gripe with the CPE. Instead of the crude knobs, the Stark uses an electronic display similar to bigger JOBOs with 0.1C granularity. Accuracy matches granularity too, as verified by my certified thermometer. The manual says that the heater turns on after the temperature drops below 0.2 of target. Additionally, there's a water pump which constantly re-circulates water in the bath achieving 100% uniform temperature.
- Build quality is also somewhat better. JOBO's shaky plastic feel somehow never reconciled with the "made in Germany" sticker in my head.
- More compact than a JOBO which matters for my small laundry room.
The machine works with all types of tanks. This is great for the manufacturer so they can serve a bigger market with a single model, but it doesn't work as well as a fully integrated system like a JOBO which firmly holds a tank in place. Instead, SST4 allows you to place a tank anywhere you want by adjusting the placement of roller wheels. All tanks tend to drift during agitation somewhat but regular-sized JOBO tanks like 1520 are nose/top heavy which accelerates this drift. You are supposed to configure one of the wheels to be a stopper, but because it's on one side (one of the rods) its stopping action isn't smooth and a tank wobbles during rotation. I doubt it has any effect on the end results, but makes the overall operation less refined. It works much better with Patterson tanks or longer 1540 JOBOs because they are better balanced.
The SST4 does not have the ability to heat chemistry. There's a bigger brother called SST5 which can. In my case I did not need this feature because I've always preferred using a regular basket with 110-120F water, this saves a lot of time and makes the processor more compact.
My unit is a US model with a corresponding power supply, according to the manual. Yet it came with the euro power cord, perhaps by mistake. It is a standard power cord though, the same kind used by PCs and computer monitors. I had several laying around.
I see it as something in the middle between "junior" JOBOs and the bigger CPP models with electronic temperature control. I wasn't happy with the former and couldn't afford the latter, so it made sense.
TLDR: recommended.
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