I'm building a new darkroom and would like to use one of these, but the company's website is very confusing with the multiplicity of models.
It is not clear to me what the more expensive models offer over the more basic ones.
Can anyone give a recommendation? I'm only going to do this once, so I don't want to skimp, but don't want to throw money away either.
Thanks!
Rolfe
I've used this one for years: http://www.hassmfg.com/search.pl/142...&submit=Search It's an outstanding piece of equipment. The low flow modification comes standard these days. It's essential.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
+1
In addition their customer service is first rate. Mine developed a problem after several years of use. I called and spoke to Mr. Hass who diagnosed the issue as a faulty power supply and had one sent out to me immediately. Problem solved.
Originally Posted by Peter J. De Smidt
The D250 is an excellent value. If you can spring for the K250, the digital version it gives you a few bells and whistles that you may or may not find important. You can adjust the % flow from 100 down to 20% thereby improving accuracy at lower flow rates. It also gives you a batch time setting which you can set to shut off after a certain flow time. This is very handy with the archival washing of prints. Another option is the auto-shut off which shuts off flow if it cannot maintain the set temperature. This is important if you run out of hot or cold water, and shuts the unit off. There is also a lights off button which turns off the display and lights for film processing. And finally, you can set the temperature to within 0.1 degree which may or may not be important to you. Only you can determine if these "features" are worth the extra cost. I should also mention that these valves are extremely long lived. Mine was manufactured in 1996 and still works flawlessly. As mentioned above, their customer service is excellent L
Just installed a D250 and it works very well. Quality equipment.
I also have a D250 with his hot and cold filters, it seems to work fine at a trickle, or full flow.
Mine is about 3 years old, with one year of usage. It was the first thing I bought for the new darkroom.
Tin Can
I've used a D250 and currently have the K250--either one is a nice darkroom luxury. See if you can find a used K250, they're frequently available and have some nice features over the D250. I regularly use the flow rate adjustment, and the standby mode is also handy--allowing you to manually adjust the taps when necessary. The digital readout is also very helpful--no squinting at an inline thermometer.
Thanks for the responses everyone -- I think I'll go with the D250 as it should be more than adequate.
Does anyone know what the high end models are used for in the practical world?
Rolfe
I've often thought of putting one of the higher flow models on my showerhead to dial in the temperature and have it hold it........L
I installed a used K250 recently, yes it is a luxury, for sure. No more fiddling with taps to get the temp right, saves water, time, and lets me focus on the workflow. Useful when doing some alternative processes that require different water temp setting for the various processing steps. The timed flow setting is very useful during washing stage. I'm impressed with the feature set and the build quality. I think that the model I have dates to the late 90's and looks to be a bit off on the temp settings - not enough to warrant a recalibration (which can be done with some basic tools but not worth the bother).
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