Why is the film developing tank so expensive?

You can buy a new Paterson tank from B&H for about the same price as two rolls of Ektachrome . 28 bucks free shipping comes with 2 reels. Only buy Jobo if you want to do rotary processing. Paterson and AP reels are easy to use. Jobo takes a bit more practice. 1 Jobo reel, no tank just the reel is around 25 bucks.

Paterson 2 reel tank with 2 reels.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...Cv4DmgzOwSO40RoC0yAQAvD_BwE&lsft=BI:514&smp=Y

Something to remember about tanks and reels: If you buy decent ones, and take care of them, they can be the beginning of a collection...

Personally I've been using the Paterson tanks with plastic reels, simply because that is what was cheap and readily available to me when I first bought into a system. I started with the smaller "2 reel" tank, which fit one reel of the 120 film I was using. (Which since they also did 220 film, it means you can actually fit two rolls of 120 film on a single reel by loading them one after another. It is however, 'tricky' and easy to mess up if you accidentally overlap the film.)

From there I quickly added a larger tank, so I could do two reels of 120 film at a time. And that size tank also just happens to fit 4x5 film...

It also happens that I ended up with measuring cups that hold just enough chemistry to cover the two 120 reels, which is handy, and have since added a second large tank as well with a Mod45. [But am really considering switching my 4x5 development to SP-445 tanks] And I am in need of picking up more reels at some point...

Also debating if I want to have even bigger tanks! Because I have found myself doing more film work and getting larger back logs of film in need of development... But I'm very much on the fence as I'm not sure how clearly I could handle pouring that much chemistry in and out. [Maybe just more 2-reel tanks so I can prep them and run more developments back-to-back? ... ]

But TLDR - Tank collections grow as you find your stride, and compared to the film you can run through them they aren't badly priced. Focus on buying well reviewed gear, and don't let yourself get suckered into paying extra for random "Collectible" parts if you have no good reason for wanting them besides what an ad tried to tell you.

mshchem said:

You can buy a new Paterson tank from B&H for about the same price as two rolls of Ektachrome . 28 bucks free shipping comes with 2 reels. Only buy Jobo if you want to do rotary processing. Paterson and AP reels are easy to use. Jobo takes a bit more practice. 1 Jobo reel, no tank just the reel is around 25 bucks.

Paterson 2 reel tank with 2 reels.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/886586-REG/Paterson_Universal_Tank_with_Two.html/?ap=y&gclid=CjwKCAjwndvlBRANEiwABrR32CbkwpVTNu-SNbKIPuq2rT7ZwLJrd-t2GO9QE_gCCv4DmgzOwSO40RoC0yAQAvD_BwE&lsft=BI:514&smp=Y

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Same thing in Jobo is 93 bucks. Unless you have a processor or want to use a roller you don't need Jobo.
The Jobo system is awesome if you can afford the equipment.

10-15 dollars is what we were paying for so-so and little food and below average coffee at Drunken Donuts in Boston.
Yet, OP calls 40 dollars unit which will lasts for many years as expensive. Heck, even some crappy beer is next to ten dollars in bars now.

Ko.Fe. said:

10-15 dollars is what we were paying for so-so and little food and below average coffee at Drunken Donuts in Boston.
Yet, OP calls 40 dollars unit which will lasts for many years as expensive. Heck, even some crappy beer is next to ten dollars in bars now.

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Maybe time to move to the south lol. Maybe they seem expensive mainly because I am on a budget

A well designed, well built tank will last a lifetime or close to it.

Sirius Glass said:

A well designed, well built tank will last a lifetime or close to it.

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You are correct. They will last a lifetime plus 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, twice as long or longer..........Regards!

Arklatexian said:

You are correct. They will last a lifetime plus 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, twice as long or longer..........Regards!

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How much of a lifetime they last may also depend on what kind of chemistry you try using in them...

With the wrong sort of chemistry they may even last several life times in rather short order...

Expensive? I'd say its cheap considering you'll use it for the rest of your life.

Paterson is definitely cheaper than Jobo. I got really lucky and found my local camera shop off-loading Jobo 1520 tanks (with one reel) for £15 in the early 2000s. This was when everyone was "going digital". I've since managed to buy two more reels and the extension via ebay on the cheap but it took a decade of searching to get the extension at a decent price. Now I can process 3 films at a time (135, 120 or a mix) which is sufficient for me.

But I would recommend Paterson for anyone new to the darkroom, unless you happen to be given a Jobo. In terms of longevity there's probably no difference. Assuming you don't drop your developing tank on a hard floor and then step on it....it will last decades.

FWIW, I have actually broken a Paterson Super System 4 tank - resulting in a longish crack that leaked solution out the side.
I then turned around and repaired the crack with generic "Crazy Glue" and a piece of packing tape. The repaired tank seems to work fine.

MattKing said:

FWIW, I have actually broken a Paterson Super System 4 tank - resulting in a longish crack that leaked solution out the side.
I then turned around and repaired the crack with generic "Crazy Glue" and a piece of packing tape. The repaired tank seems to work fine.

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And I've seen a few with broken gaskets and with cracked cap. Mostly in a community darkroom where used hard.

Broken tanks can be cheap, good value if the reels are good. A collection of reels is worth having as you can use one tank immediately after souping a film if you have dry reels ready to load.

Have you seen the cost of jobo expert tank for 8x10/5x7? Makes EVERYTHING else look positively dirt cheap.

If you treat the tank well, that 25-40 dollars, will last years. A pretty decent investment.

John51 said:

Broken tanks can be cheap, good value if the reels are good. A collection of reels is worth having as you can use one tank immediately after souping a film if you have dry reels ready to load.

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If APUG had a forum that was titled "Tip Of The Week" ....... i would definitely nominate your post.

I can second the recommendation to buy a good tank. For plastic tanks Peterson are at the top. Sometimes you can find them at a fair price on EBay. IMHO they make great reels, easy to load. Not fun to even try loading when the reel is wet. The over all design of the tank is great with the key feature being the extremly wide locking funnel. The price point for a new one is between $29 and $30 depending where you buy it. The single reel tank is great for 35. Buy the two reel tank if you want to process 120. The reels are adjustable.

Over the years my collection of tanks have exploded. Funny at times just for the heck of it I use the old Kodak tanks with the plastic that wraps around the film. I have retired all of my Yankee tanks, mostly because I don't like their reels. I'm all thumbs with stainless steel, lesson learned even cheap stainless steel reels are a poor investment.

Just counting the Paterson tanks I have 3 one reel tanks, 3 two reel tanks, 1 three and five reel tanks and 1 eight reel tank. In total I have 30 reels. You don't need that many reels but I found some really cheap and you can never have enough dry reels.

Jin said:

I am new to developing film, and I've been looking at ebay for developing tank. I was thinking maybe 10 to 15 dollars to purchase it, but it turns out to be 25 to 40 dollars. Is it because their production has been discontinued? And what would be a good or fair price to get developer tanks with 35mm reel?

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E Bay has taken on a life of it's own and people really have no idea of the true cost of items. I will never buy from E Bay because there are too many 'hooky items' (stolen) and of doubtful quality. Used darkroom items appear for sale quite often and I have found them to be always priced at a reasonable level.