Which timers should I keep?

[cheekygeek]

Need some opinions...
I am setting up a B&W darkroom after over 30 years away from it. I've been accumulating equipment for years, with an eye to doing this and it is FINALLY time to make it happen.

A little background... I'm interested to too many things, so I have a Beseler 23CII with Dichro head and a Beseler Dichro 45S. I will be doing everything from pinhole from paper negatives to 35mm, 120, and 4x5 b&w. Things have changed a lot since I was in the darkroom (when the old GraLab Model 300 and Time-O-Lite 72s were the thing) and i have a couple of newer timers now, however I have no experience with them and have no idea how useful they actually are compared to the old ways.

I've got:
• at least one GraLab 300.
• a Time-O-Lite Master (M-72)
• a Time-O-Lite Professional (P-72)
• a GraLab 900 with foot switch
• a Jobo Process Timer 8

I should also mention that I'm interested in trying Lith Printing, which overexposes the paper. So not sure if I will be exceeding the 60 second maximums of the Time-O-Lites when over-exposing my papers, or not.

 

[BobMarvin11225]

Assuming they all work, if the Gralab 900 is the only one you have with a foot switch then keep that, since foot switches are really useful.

 

[Molli]

Definitely keep whichever one can make use of that foot switch! Having one's hands free for dodging and burning is extremely useful. Just don't inadvertantly step on it as you're setting paper in the easel unless you really like curiously warped photograms of "Child on Beach Caged Behind Easel Blade".

 

[MattKing]

The Gralab 300s are great process timers. Whatever you choose for your enlarger (I'd recommend the 900) I'd encourage you to keep the 300 as well.

 

[John Koehrer]

The Gralab 300s are great process timers. Whatever you choose for your enlarger (I'd recommend the 900) I'd encourage you to keep the 300 as well.

Me too.

 

[ac12]

I would use the GraLab-900 on the enlarger.
The GraLab-300 for processing.
And keep a Time-O-Lite just for the heck of it. I got a Time-O-Lite just to remind myself of what I used in high school. And when you do not need the sub second accuracy of a digital timer, the Time-O-Lite is just fine. And for an old analog guy like me, the moving needle was fun to watch. Also when dodging and burning, watching the moving needle was a lot easier than counting in my head when I switched to an electronic timer where I did not know where in the exposure I was.

 

[jvo]

check the cords when deciding - had some cracks and breaks in the rubber insulation on my gralab footswitch - and only 20 years old!!!

jvo

 

[mgb74]

Each has their benefits. Keep them all for now until you get your desired workflow back, then decide which one(s).

 

[jeffreyg]

Having two timers is best as well as one with a foot switch. Adding an electric metronome especially if it can be activated with the enlarger timer is very helpful for burning and dodging if the timer doesn't have an audible feature. I have one set for one second interval clicks.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[Rolfe Tessem]

It's 2016...this is the modern way to do it:

http://www.rhdesigns.co.uk/darkroom/index.html


Rolfe

 

[nsurit]

Are the rh design products still being made?