Durst 138s price

[Mouse]

I have Durst 138s with CLS301 head that I dont use any more. Id like to sell it or trade it for something smaller so i can enlarge 6x6 but I dont know how much does it worth.
Thanks

[Jan Pedersen]

Post some photos, it will be easier to give you an estimate when we can see what the condition of the enlarger is in.

[Mouse]

Unfortunately right now Im not able to take photographs of it. It is in very good condition, it has been used but it is in great working condition and it looks very good, without marks or schratches.

[Jimi]

It all depends on where you are located in the world. It's a big enlarger and it does not ship easily.

[Donald Miller]

The price it is worth depends a great deal on whether you have a buyer that is looking for one. I bought three of these enlargers from one seller several years ago. I resold one for $650 and another for $800. I still own the third unit. I would want something around $3000 if I were to sell mine complete with the condensers and three lenses (companon S 240, El Nikkor 150, and Rodenstock 80). Mine were all condenser enlargers complete with the three lens turrets. The one that I still have has been converted to a 1000 watt point light source.

The size of these enlargers is not a big problem...they are not as bulky as a 184. The head comes off, the column is then separated from the base and the table makes up the fourth component. They do not weigh as much as it would at first appear.

[Bjorn Nilsson]

These enlargers are nowadays quite difficult to sell at a decent price. Sometimes they cannot even be given away, but ends up on the scrap heap.
I bought my first one in the 80'ies for about $2500 but I recon that I can only get maybe $4-500 for it if I'm lucky. (I'm not selling but anyhow.)
... and as others have pointed out, location location location...

//Björn

[Allen in Montreal]

I am with Bjorn on this one, it will be hard to sell and not fetch very much in the current climate.

I bought mine for $200.00 last Christmas!
It is in mint condition. I tracked the 138 being sold on e bay for many months before buying mine, I do not recall seeing one sell over the 500.00 mark. Many were listed at higher amounts, but I really do not recall any selling higher.
When you can get pictures, but it up in the for sale section and it will sell, but not for a large amount.

If getting top dollar is important, cut it up and sell it in parts, it will take much longer but it may fetch more that way. A nice carrier alone is approx. 100.00 the lens boards are about 20 a pop as single units. The CLS head would sell as a single unit I would think, and so on.

Hopefully, it will find a new home where it is loved and used for many years to come. :) It is a beautiful unit to use.

[Martin Gorczakowski]

Mouse, I am located in Poland, and looking for such a piece of equipment. Please let me know if you will be willing to sell.
thanks,

[Turner Reich]

If you would be willing to part with the head pm me.

[Drew Wiley]

Allen - you have no idea what a good deal you got. I'm aware of the last two new
late-vintage 138 (chassis only) still in crate which sold for around $7500 apiece less than two years ago. A reconditioned CLS301 is still an excellent way to punch mural
sized color prints, though the quality of color is a little less clean than the later
generation Durst colorheads (which in mint condition can still fetch over 20K). The
illumination is also less even for 8X10, but given the right mirror boxes, fine on
4x5 or 5x7. I sold one of these colorheads a few years back. The used reflectors alone sold around $500, though these can be replaced with newer dichroic bulbs if one knows how to do it. With mine I could punch a 30x40 Ciba with a .90 contrast mask in about 15 seconds - if you understand that, it means a mural-size C print would require less than one second exposure. That's a bright light bulb! When it comes to Durst everything depends upon condition and completeness. These were the best mid-sized enlargers ever made but can cost quite a bit to refurbish if they
need a lot or repair work, provided you can even find the parts. There are some deals out there, mostly on random pieces, but something like a precision mint carrier (pin-registered with a matching punch) can fetch four or five thousand dollars (no kidding) - but the same thing beat up or missing the matching glass or
punch is virtually worthless. It's a lot like Antiques Roadshow and the proverbial guy who spent fifteen dollars for a painting at a garage sale and it turns out to be
worth seventy-five thousand, while the dude who spent six thousand ends up with
something worth twelve dollars. You need to know your stuff.

[Allen in Montreal]

Drew,

I should point out that my 138s is a condenser head and does not have a CLS head.
But I agree, it was still a great deal! Picking up a few missing parts (lens boards, neg carriers etc) along the way has taken a great deal of time but it is a pleasure to use.



.... These were the best mid-sized enlargers ever made .......

^^^ Spot on!