Are Graflex Grafmatic film holders more trouble than they're worth?

I have 6 Grafmatics that I've used for many years, and I only ever had one failure; and I really think that one was my fault. If the septums are flat and straight, film is loaded properly into a septum, and they're kept clean, you should not experience any failures. The space saving is negligible in that you're only getting a couple of more shots--the Grafmatic eliminates one conventional film holder. One major advantage that I enjoy with the Grafmatic is that I never have to worry about light entering from the slider side of the holder and fogging my film. I've had blazing Arizona sun directly on the slider side of the Grafmatic and never had an issue; can't say the same for my conventional film holders.

They are great if you take the time, probably 3-5 minutes, to read the manual and follow it precisely. If you can't do that, they will soon be junk.

Hold the camera level when you are working the slides. If you point the camera down gravity can make the septums jam.

And then there are the 10 shot Kinematics;-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chauncey Walden

And then there are the 10 shot Kinematics;-)

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Have you used it? I have never seen one and been curious about it.

they have that annoying frame counter wheel, thankfully it can easily be removed with tin snips (how I removed mine).

in a word

YES

I have a small box of counter wheels somewhere that I removed so many years ago that I can’t remember how I took them out, but I did use a screwdriver.
And “yes” for the same comments that Tin Can answered yes for.

They certainly work best when cycled level and in landscape mode. I use them often, but I carry a changing bag just in case. I've never needed the changing bag. If you get one with bent septums, the metal seems uniquely brittle and is very hard to straighten properly. Best tool for attempting this is a table knife.

When I have a trouble-free 6 out of one, I put a pencil check mark on the white space on the back. Nearly all have been 100% reliable.

Thanks everyone. I'll keep reading replies later. So far I'm inclined to stick to regular holders because I like the flexibility of carrying around an extra type of film and allegedly these don't save that much space.