Hasso Weiland
Considering that photography is still so important to our profession, it is likely that in this group are a few critical individuals with personal experiencee using dry-to-dry black and white photographic processors. Would anyone care to recommend a counter-top processor that they are happy with? I wouldn't object to knowing which ones to stay away from either.
Doug Keene
We have been using the Ilford 2150 RC for over a year, maybe two by now. The results are quite good, however there have been mechanical problems with it from the get go. We had to replace bearings early on and have had to dismantle and re-assemble the rollers over and over to keep it from squeaking and sqealing and grinding. So it has been a mixed bag for us. We do about 10,000 prints a year and it has been a real time-saver too
Greg Erdos
E-mail: gwe@biotech.ufl.edu
The best processor out there is the Mohrpro. We have been using one for about 8 years and recommend it when ever we can. It is easy to use and maintain, 2 min. dry to dry, permanent (not stabilized) and uses RC paper and Kodak Fixer. We do purchase the developer from Mohr. The current cost for paper up to 8" width is $4295, the Mohrpro8. and 14" width $4800, the Mohrpro14. (They do sell rebuilt machines as well). They stand behind their product and I can only say great things about Mohr.
For information contact:
Bob or Jim Jackson (tell them Linda at Loyola sent you!)
Mohr Enterprises
65 E. Palatine Rd. Suite 103
Prospect Heights, Il 60070
1-847-465-0048
Linda Fox
lfox1@wpo.it.luc.edu
Dear Doug: We've had our Mohr Pro8 for about 9 months and love it. This model came highly recommended by other users in the Boston area who had used them much longer than us. We now wonder how we put up with the tray method for so long! If you want more info, E-mail or call me.
Don Gantz
gantz@med-biophd.bu.edu
I have used an Agfa system, chemistry and paper for 12 years. The processor was not sufficiently robust nor reliable for us. In any case it is no longer available. The Agfa Variable Contrast Premium paper is my favorite emulsion for scientific work. I recommend that you consider the Durst Printo system. It is modular so you can build it to suit your own needs. It is my choice of currently available systems.
Larry D. Ackerman
mishot@itsa.ucsf.edu
At 10:12 AM 3/7/96 -0600, you wrote:
>The best processor out there is the Mohrpro. We have been using one
>for about 8 years and recommend it when ever we can. It is easy to
>use and maintain, 2 min. dry to dry, permanent (not stabilized) and
>uses RC paper and Kodak Fixer.
I must respectfully disagree. I was personally responsible for implementing both an Ilford 2150 and a Mohr Pro 8" Model in a multiuser lab. While I liked the Mohr and our users were mostly happy with it, from an ease of use and maint. point of view, I would have to go with the Ilford.
The 2150 ran flawlessly for several years, then needed minor (in-house) maintenance - float sensors went bad. It will process up to 20" wide sheet, in 90 secs. dry-dry, and the rollers stay submerged in the chemistry, which seems to keep them cleaner (no dried on chemicals to deal with).
The Mohr has some rollers partially exposed, which often was a source of roller marks, and were more difficult to clean. We used it primarily for negatives (TEM & SEM). It performed well, just not as smoothly as the Ilford.
Overall, I had very good support from both Ilford and Mohr (though neither produced problems that really tested the waters). I would recommend both, but for different apps - Ilford for RC Prints (does not do film), and the Mohr for negs. With the caveat that the Mohr will require more hands-on time.
James C. Long
jlong@electrosource.com