Received a Freestyle catalog in the mail today and turned to the film section and got quite a shock. Kodak 8x10 Tri-X is considerably more expensive per sheet in 10-sheet boxes than it was in 50-sheet boxes. And considerably more expensive than its competitors, Kodak T-Max 400 and Ilford HP-5 Plus.
To wit,
8x10 Tri-X in 10-sheet box: $46.99 for 10 sheets is $234.95 for 50 sheets or $4.70/sheet.
8x10 T-Max 400 in 50-sheet box: $153.99 for 50 sheets is $3.08/sheet.
8x10 HP-5 Plus in 25-sheet box: $81.99 for 25 sheets is $163.98 for 50 sheets or $3.28/sheet.

In January, 2008, I bought 50-sheet boxes of 8x10 Tri-X from Freestyle for $152.99 ($3.06/sheet). The other 8x10's were roughly the same price.

I'm surprised Kodak would do this with such a popular and classic film, in a sense their flagship film. Just a few years ago they were praising its 50th anniversary.

I've been using 8x10 Tri-X for a long time and I would hate to switch, but I may have to. It's been years since I've looked at T-Max 400 and HP-5 Plus data/results. I know many of you really like these films. Any suggestions, especially for pt/pd printing?