Originally Posted by
Drew Wiley
Commercial Durst enlargers were designed for very long term maintenance. Since they were very common in pro labs for decades, parts can still be found, though it can sometimes take patience. Autofocus ain't always a good thing. It can be finicky and electronics dependent. I just turned down over twenty free large format enlargers, including six working 8x10 Omega units! I only realistically had space for one more big enlarger. Guess what I took? It was the basic Durst L184 color 8x10 rig. Just right for tuning up using basic shop skills. With all the trimmings, I guess it was about a twenty grand originally; and it took me only a fewweekends to get it looking and working like new, even though it had several decades of pro lab use previously. I turned down the FAR more expensive autofocus Durst unit because it uses unique rare carriers and if electronically fussy - beyond my personal skill level to repair if needed. But if the Sentinel also looks nice, try selling it. It's a shame that this kind of gear gets ever thrown away. Some of these machines were built to outlast a hundred inkjet printers.
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