Reasonable cost, availability, keeping qualities, and rendering the image with a certain naturalness. D 76 does it for me. Scratch mixed, it cost next to nothing. Buy the fixing`s in bulk quantities and break them down into smaller glass bottles and seal the lids with tape except for the "working" bottle.
A complete downer is a developer that loosed strength and does not tell you like Xtol.
A complete downer is a developer that loosed strength and does not tell you like Xtol.