Unicolor vs. Beseler film drums

When processing sheet film in the Unicolor drums, there are small ribs that allow the chemistry to flow behind the film. Looking at Beseler drums, they seem to be perfectly smooth on the inside. Does this prevent full clearing of the film base, dyes, etc? Does the film tend to stick to these drums? Any other pros/cons?

I haven't used those drums, but I use Cibachrome Mark II drums for my 8x10 film processing. The film does in fact plaster itself to the inner wall of the drum, and with films such as T-Max the anti-halation dyes don't clear all the way during processing, but five minutes in a tray full of fixer afterward is enough to completely clear my negs.

Jonathan

Good Evening,

Don't forget the Chromega drum. I've processed probably thousands of 4 x 5 sheets in mine; I do all the steps from pre-soak through hypo clear in the drum and have never had a problem with solution failing to reach the base side of the film. As Jonathan correctly notes, any anti-halation backing will disappear in a later step anyway, especially if the wash is done outside the drum. A bonus is that the Chromega never leaks.

Konical

I have used a Beseler drum for many years. Mine has 2 raised ridges that cause the 2 sheets of 4x5 to bow away from the outside of the drum, so the film is not in contact except along the very edge. Works great.