What Is the Second-Best SS reel for processing 120 film?

runswithsizzers

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I am having a hard time convincing myself to pay the price for a new Hewes stainless steel reel for 120 film. The asking price for even used ones makes my eyes water, and they are hard to find at any price.

Are there any alternative brands I should look for? Hopefully, I can find something that is relatively easy to load, and durable enough to stay that way in normal use.

I would like to get one as soon as possible, so it would be great if there was something I could buy new, off-the-shelf. But if all the new ones are all junk, then maybe I should search for a used Kindermann, or ...?
 
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miha

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Go with the Hewes. They might cost $60, but they'll last you a lifetime. I use Kinderman reels and would buy them again if needed. The only downside with Kindeman tanks is the plastic lids - they unfortunately only last a couple of years.
 

Paul Howell

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I have Nikor, maybe 40 years, no issues, unlike 35mm SS which if dropped can become bent, 120 SS reels does not have that issue.
 
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runswithsizzers

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miha said:
Go with the Hewes. They might cost $60, but they'll last you a lifetime. I use Kinderman reels and would buy them again if needed. The only downside with Kindeman tanks is the plastic lids - they unfortunately only last a couple of years.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your encouragement. I am 72 years old, so a "lifetime" ain't what it used to be.

I did find a Hewes 120 reel at Freestyle for $60, and I just bought it. I've seen used ones on eBay for $55, so well worth $5 more to get a new one from a trusted seller. When I first started looking, I saw B&H had them for $75! And Adorama was the same (marked down from $83).

"The reels are too damn high!"

My Kindermann tank was used when I bought it in 2019 -- the plastic lid looks like hell, but is still OK, for now. I do have a brand new spare (not Kindermann) available, in case the Kindermann lid decides to split.
 
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miha

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Congrats, I hope they serve you well.
 

MattKing

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Send me a PM with your address - I have some Hewes 120 reels I would like to sell, and I'm prepared to investigate how expensive they would be to send them by insured parcel Canada Post to you.
 

Randy Stewart

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For many years, Nikor SS reels were made with relatively thick steel "wire", making them both less prone to damage and easier to load. With price and marketing pressure from the various, cheaper and more cheaply made Japanese reels into the 1970s, Nikor followed with similarly made, cheaper products, eventually adopting nicely made but still plastic tanks and reels. If you go on eBay, you can find the early Nikor reels, sometimes cheap, sometimes not so much. A way to distinguish between early and later NIkor reels is the box they come in. The early reels (and tanks) were sold in a deep red carton. Some years ago, I decided to treat myself to a Hewes 120 reel, but a $42 US, my hand shrank from the package. The Hewes and the old NIkors look a lot alike, but the proof is in the use, so anyone....?
 

Sirius Glass

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Nikor reels work well for 120 and 135 film, almost as good as Hewes reels.
 
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runswithsizzers

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"Some years ago, I decided to treat myself to a Hewes 120 reel, but a $42 US, my hand shrank from the package."

@Randy Stewart, as it turned out, that might have been a good investment. Current retail prices are in the $60-75(US) range. But if the old Nikor reels work about as well, that would be good to know.
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FYI - there has been a change in the appearance of Hewes' 120 reels. Previously, the words, “Hewes (U.K.)” could be found stamped / etched / engraved onto one of the bracket arms. When I recently received a new Hewes 120 ss reel from Freestyle, I was concerned becaused the brand mark was missing. I also noticed some of the wires on the new reel are slightly smaller in diameter than what I have seen on older Hewes 120 reels.

So I contacted Hewes by email, and got a reply from Nigel Hall, Managing Director. At least that was his title on the Hewes website, which looks like it was last updated in about 1997.

Nigel confirms: "...we no longer emboss one of the brace bars which are also a made from a smaller gauge wire.
Other than that it's the same item."
 
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laser

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Honeywell Nikor excellent. They will last a life time.
 

MattKing

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I have it on good authority that @runswithsizzers has both old and new style Hewes reels at hand for the purpose of comparing them .
Photographing those reels so the engraved words show up is a fun challenge!
 
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runswithsizzers

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It's not the next 40 years I'm worried about -- after which time I will be 112 years old. ;-)

My main concern is the 40 seconds it takes me to load film on to the reel. Of course, success when loading film onto a reel is largely determined by the skills of the user, but it does seem to me like some reels are easier to load than others.
 

Paul Howell

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pentaxuser said:
So the key question is: How old are you, runwithsizzers? Is 40 years enough?

pentaxuser
Click to expand...

I bought the Nikkor reels and tanks in the 80s, but I have other tanks and reels, including 20 exposure reels from the 70s. My first tank was bought new, it as a Kodacraft tank with apron. So you can guess.
 
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runswithsizzers

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I used the new-style Hewes 120 reel today; as expected, no problems loading film in the changing bag. I also loaded two rolls of 135 on Hewes reels without problems.

The two tabs on the Hewes 135 reels that catch in the sprocket holes are brilliant -- seems like a superior design compared to their competition. However, the spring wire clip Hewes incorporates into their 120 reels does not work nearly so well for me. Sometimes I can get the 120 film positioned under the clip without too much trouble. But other times, it's hard to get the film centered well enough to avoid problems. Today, I just laid the end of my 120 film over the core wires of the reel and started loading, ignoring the clip part.
 

SodaAnt

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I’m glad you were able to load the Hewes reels.

I tried, but was never able to consistently load Hewes reels, and eventually gave up. The reel I found I could load correctly every time is the one Freestyle sells as the “Arista Premium Plastic Developing Reel”. This reel loads just like a Paterson reel, except it has a larger flange that makes it easier to get the film started.
 

Sirius Glass

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FreeStyle brand steel reels
 

chuckroast

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I use Nikor and only Nikor. They are the gold - well stainless - standard of excellence.
 
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