35mm Film dev tanks: Patterson vs Jobo?

35mm Film dev tanks: Patterson vs Jobo?

  • Patterson!

    Votes: 152 60.3%

  • Jobo!

    Votes: 100 39.7%
  • Total voters
    252
giganova said:
I'm a strong advocate for the JOBO. They are very well made, last a life time, and loading the film is super easy. Best of all:

I am able to simply push the film onto the spools inside my changing bag -- no hand cranking at all! The trick is to simply cut the start of the film roll to avoid any edges. Then you thread the start of the film into the spool, pull a couple of inches of film from the film cartridge, push it into the plastic spool, pull another 5 inches of film, push, etc. No jamming whatsoever and I'm done putting the film on the spool in less than a minute. Works like a charm, every time. If you want to see how I do it, watch this video! (not my video)

You will get more votes for the Patterson because more people use them, but I think the JOBO is a much better system.
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Which JOBO series do you recommend for someone who's not going to be using a rotary
 
The Jobo 1500 series is fabulous. You can start with a 1520 for two rolls and later expand it to 5 rolls by adding a 1530.
 
I've used Jobo inversion tanks for 50 years. The only criticism I could make is that the opening of the current series is smaller than some other makes (e.g.Paterson) and it's possible that it would take longer to fill and empty a tank with extensions and many reels. It hasn't been a problem for me but if a fast acting developer were used it could.

And a bit of trivia: the name come from that of the founder, Johannes Bockemühl.
 
Or buy Arista in the USA; Kaiser in those US of Europa. They are easy load, almost impossible the dick up. The only thing to be careful of is bubbles, so slam the tank after every agitation.
 
Rayt said:
People who recommend the Jobo are also using the motorized base?
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not necessarily.
jobo 1520 user here, mostly for 120. no processor.

but for 135 i prefer hewes reels in no-name steel tank.

not-so-good experience with paterson and AP. but they are still manageable.
 
sebastel said:
not necessarily.
jobo 1520 user here, mostly for 120. no processor.

but for 135 i prefer hewes reels in no-name steel tank.

not-so-good experience with paterson and AP. but they are still manageable.
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I have the Jobo 2500 series with the manual roller deck. To keep the rotation smooth and not jerky for the duration of the process I have used a toy truck to roll the tank on the rollers. I understand the motor base rotates as a particular rpm and I don't know if I can maintain consistency if I deviate from this rpm with my little toy truck. Would rotating too fast or too slow affect development? Anyway I gave up and switched to the Paterson for up to 4x5.
 
Madrigal said:
I got aftermarket S/S reels and tanks, but found I couldn't load them. The spring clip wouldn't grip the film enough to even get the film wrapped around once. Then I got a Paterson Universal setup. Worlds easier. I will try S/S again, but it will be with Hewes or Kindermann reels.

I like the funnel in the Paterson, too.

Sorry, can't comment on Jobo. Haven't used it.
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Nikor tanks and reels are never miss for me going on 60 years now.

I inherited some off brand stainless and can not load them in daylight let alone dark, but original owner used them all the time.

Patterson are great and fool proof if you FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS.

Jobos are fine also. Be sure to get proper cap for inversion or roller. They are different.

I think the fact that stainless uses nice even amounts of chemistry and ss promotes temp transfer better makes it the winner. Plastic is an insulator and uses odd ball 310 ml rather than 250 like my storage bottles leaves them on the shelf.

Comes down to personal preference.
 
I gotta wonder why stainless steel tanks weren't offered an a third choice. I bought a Honeywell Nikor 4-(35mm)reel tank circa 1970 and still use it to this day. Recently, after almost a 20-year layoff, I started processing film again. After a couple of dry runs loading Hewes reels, I had only minor problems loading live film (didn't ruin any frames) and it has been smooth sailing since then.
 
Related question: I have significant emulsion buildup on my JOBO reels and it is becoming increasingly difficult to load the reels with film because of friction. I use a toothbrush with detergent to clean them regularly, but this doesn't seem to help much.

Q1: Any advice how to get rid of the emulsion buildup?
Q2: Do steel reels have the same problem or is it due to the porous plastic?
 
An earlier version of myself seems to have commented/preferred Jobo over Patterson. It's the other way round now. I also have two AP tanks and they are less good than either.

Steve Litt said:
I like Patterson for the easy filling via the funnel like top and the quick emptying that is accurate enough to pour back into the storage bottle
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^This.

.
 
I use a "Jessops" tank - its a clone of the Paterson - the system 4 reels fit it fine. I've not had problems with loading film in the reels - I cut off the corners of the leading edge, and scrub the grooves in the reels every year or so with an old toothbrush.
 
Patterson are goof proof if you follow instructions and do not store the cap on the tank stretching it .

Many ways to screw up ss, but the best system IF you learn how and do not buy the cheap ss junk. Been using same Nikkor reels and tanks for 50 years.
 
I use the steel tanks and reels. I actually have trouble loading 120, but I've only don't it twice... Need practice!

Sometimes I even botch a frame or 2 with 135. I run out of patience quickly while loading. I need to adopt a zen attitude, especially when I need to start again if I've felt I've messed it up.
 
I've used both a lot and steel ones too. The Jobo tanks are a lot better: the reels are much easier to load, and the tanks never leak.
 
Ok, this thread has convinced me to try plastic again. My frustrations with Paterson was still less frustrating than not knowing that my film had linked in stainless leading to creases all over the edge. Also, stainless tanks take forever to fill
 
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