What's it worth...

[ThePhilosopher]

Beseler Universal 45 with Beseler 45V-XL stand. Has Rodenstock Rodagon 1:5, 6 F-135 mm lens I'm looking at one for sale but the asking price is $500. I'm not familiar with pricing for enlargers at all, any help for a n00b?

[sun of sand]

that's too much
especially for a noob
cut that in half and youre getting into range

I wouldn't pay more than 200 for any 4x5 enlarger and that's in fine mech and cosm shape
and one that also comes with a bunch of assorted darkroom stuff

[Bill_1856]

Not in his wildest dreams! $200 tops.

[Ash]

In the UK I paid £250 for a Chromega Dichroic 10x10 colour enlarger with all the bits.
A year before that I'd been given a Beseler CB-7 for free.

That was 3 years go. Unfortunately the cost of enlargers goes down, not up.

[Marko]

I got mine for free and I'm probably going to give it away for the same price when I get tired of having it rust away in the storage.

Those things are huge and lots of people are practically giving them away. Be patient and you might get one for the asking.

[dsphotog]

The VXL chassis is the best & most expensive that Beseler made. It also has had less time on the market, making it less common.
Some folks like printing with the condenser head.
It would be more desirable with a dichroic or cold light head, but that is an easy conversion.
Darkroom stuff has been losing value as more move to digital.
Bottom line, it's worth what someone will pay.
If you live in a large city, enlargers are found more often & for less $.
Since they are bulky it's good to find one close to home.

[shadow images]

$500 is a descent price for that set up. The VXL is awesome, as is the universal head(love mine). Does the head have the B/W or color controller?

[Rick A]

I bought an entire DR with an Omega 45 Pro Lab(last incarnation) for $100, there were several other ads on CL recently for give aways. I think there are one or two listed at Apug for give away right now.

[Brian Ellis]

Is this a set-up you've been looking for - i.e. do you have a real craving for the VXL and Universal head - or is it just an enlarger that happens to be available? If the latter then no, it's not worth $500 to you because you can get something else that will work equally well for a lot less money. OTOH, if this is a setup that you particularly want, then $500 is maybe worth it to you.

One important thing you didn't mention is whether you can pick it up or whether it will be shipped. If you can pick it up then figure its real cost compared to another setup where you have to pay for shipping is probably about $350. If you buy it you'll just have to recognize that you'll almost certainly never get your money back if you later try to sell it.

[ThePhilosopher]

It's pickup only and I think I'll pass on the $500 price tag.

[domaz]

Just be patient. I got an entire Beseler 45 darkroom setup for $120 with all kinds of extras. Don't forget to check out estate sales. A lot of companies have pictures online before sales now making it easier to look for what you want.