Unicolor or Arista Kits

[brianentz]

Freestyle sells to color neg processing kits - Unicolor and Arista. Arista is considerably more for enough chemistry to do 8 36exp rolls (one quart) than unicolor's kit to do the same number of rolls.

Can anyone comment on whether or not arista is a better kit than unicolor? I'd just as soon get the savings, but not if there is a compromise on quality.

 

[clayne]

I've had great luck with the Tetenal C-41 kits. They're by far the most economical if you purchase the 5L kits and do a litre at a time. I know people have pushed the Arista kits past 8 rolls regularly.

 

[whowantstoast]

I've had good luck with UniColor. You can develop more rolls than the packaging suggests.

 

[brianentz]

I think i'll try the tetanol. I like the idea that its a powder. I'm assuming that i could repackage half the powder and only mix half at a time for when i have fewer rolls.

 

[MattKing]

I think i'll try the tetanol. I like the idea that its a powder. I'm assuming that i could repackage half the powder and only mix half at a time for when i have fewer rolls.

Mixing up partial batches is usually a bad idea with powder chemistry. You have no way of ensuring the uniformity of the powder, which is likely to be made up of a number of different dry components, packaged together.

The result is likely to be inconsistency from developing batch to batch.

You can do this with liquid chemicals.

 

[clayne]

Tetenal kit, atleast sold by Freestyle, is liquid.

 

[madgardener]

I am in the process of using the unicolor kit from Freestyle and haven't had any problems thus far. Though I would like to try a kit without blix, it seems that's not happening at present.

 

[brianentz]

Half a kit

Tetanol from B&H is in powder form. If I wanted to get a small kit and develop only half at a time would liquid or powder be better. Would half a bottle unmixed with water last longer than mixed?

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have used Unicolor for up to 12 C-41 rolls.
I have not used Arista nor Tenanol kits.