Can someone please give few main coordinates about which are the bests B&W enlarger?

[John Kasaian]

Elwood.
Gotta love an enlarger named after the protagonist in Harvey
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quo....Elwood_P_Dowd
Yes, I'm drinking wine. Doctor's orders

[gabriele turchi]

thanks everyone ,
from my experience in darkroom (as spectator ) a VC head or VCCE feels more attractive to me ,

few doubts questions :

an ilford VC head (like the old 500H (not sure if is the only one ever made by ilford) , is considered a less "advanced/precise concept" than a more current VCCE made by LPL ?

which enlargers can mount an ilford 500H head?

how many different VC or VCCE heads exist? are VC heads made by almost every brand ?

thanks!
g

[Luis-F-S]

thanks everyone ,
an ilford VC head (like the old 500H (not sure if is the only one ever made by ilford) , is considered a less "advanced/precise concept" than a more current VCCE made by LPL ?

which enlargers can mount an ilford 500H head?

how many different VC or VCCE heads exist? are VC heads made by almost every brand ?

thanks!
g

When it breaks, it makes a great paperweight. I've already suggested you get an LPL and contact KHB and ask their opinion. I see no point in adding to this so, at this point good luck, you're on your own.

L

[gabriele turchi]

When it breaks, it makes a great paperweight. I've already suggested you get an LPL and contact KHB and ask their opinion. I see no point in adding to this so, at this point good luck, you're on your own.

L

thanks luis ,
i appreciate, i was inquiring about the ilford because the LPL 4500 VCC seems to be not to be much available used/refurbished and new is about 3500$ + accessories i guess ...

ps; do you know how you dial the various contrast/timing combinations? is there a remote or my hand by dialing some wheels?

thanks!
g

[Huub]

In my opinion the very best you can get is a Heiland splitgrade head. These heads are made for almost any enlarger, supported by the manifacturer and do a very good job. Down side is the price....

[jose angel]

"... for now i am am looking to learn printing B&W... "

IMHO, you don`t need a 3000$ enlarger nor an automated or complex system to do so. In fact, I think you should start with a cheap enlarger (better if it is for free), and learn what works for you. Any condenser enlarger with basic alignment capability and an under-the-lens or drawer type filtering system is enough.
An enlarger is basically like a camera, so my advice is practically the same here, don`t try to buy the best camera as a starter. Just buy one, and start shooting/printing.
After that, you`ll know your own preferences, where to spend your money, which route to follow. Take it slowly.

[jose angel]

"... for now i would love to understand what makes an enlarger a great enlarger and than start searching for it."

Like with almost everything, overall design, small details and why not, personal preferences make the difference. The easiest to differentiate are materials (e.g., aluminum cast vs plastic, machined vs stamped), quality of parts, alignment system, stiffness, accessories, etc. etc. etc.
I think you`d need to acquire a little experience to know what really counts for you.

[xkaes]

"... for now i am am looking to learn printing B&W... "

IMHO, you don`t need a 3000$ enlarger nor an automated or complex system.

I agree. It's your choice. Would I spend $500 or more for a VC head vs $5 for a set of filters? I'm nut's but I'm not stupid!!! Sure, I had to spend a little bit of time making a set of small prints of a gray card negative to determine the correct, matching exposure for each filter -- a Stouffer's step wedge makes that easy. I have the results grid (factors, such as 0.5x or 1.5x) on my darkroom wall, so I can change from any filter to another using simple multiplication or division. You have to make one for yourself, because it will be different for every combination of factors, such as paper developer, development time, paper, etc. An automated head can't know all that -- just as auto-exposure and auto-focusing in a camera can't get it right all the time.

[Luis-F-S]

thanks luis ,
i appreciate, i was inquiring about the ilford because the LPL 4500 VCC seems to be not to be much available used/refurbished and new is about 3500$ + accessories i guess ...

ps; do you know how you dial the various contrast/timing combinations? is there a remote or my hand by dialing some wheels?

thanks!
g

Really? I bought one for $550 from Craigs list. There have been several listed for sale in the Forum for about a third of the price you quoted. Your original post said new or used and that you were not on a budget. You need to make up your mind and have to look. Good luck.

[gabriele turchi]

Really? I bought one for $550 from Craigs list. There have been several listed for sale in the Forum for about a third of the price you quoted. Your original post said new or used and that you were not on a budget. You need to make up your mind and have to look. Good luck.

my apologies , i have just discovered the advanced search button on the for trade sale in this forum ...
will take a better look .

thanks
g