"If you have XTOL Catalog #1058338 with the following Date Codes: 2019/10/07, 2019/12/19, 2020/02/25, 2020/02/26, 2020/02/27, we are facing a trade concern with these batches and would like to get this taken care of for you.
Please email us at ProPaperChem@kodakalaris.com with your date code information and our team will respond with the proper next steps on this product.
We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused and thank you for your understanding."
I just finished processing for alternative printing four 8x10 Fuji Acos negatives using Kodak Xtol developer which I mixed yesterday using distilled water and all four were uniformly thin including the rebates notwithstanding that the time in the developer was 22.5 minutes. The negatives were shot with different lens on different days using a Sekonic L758-dr light meter to determine exposure. The Kodak catalogue number is 105 8338 with a manufacture date of 2019/08/09 and expiration date of 2022-08.
What a mouth-full of gibberish. "We are facing a trade concern ..." "... [we] would like to get this taken care of for you." "... our team will respond with the proper next steps on this product."Originally Posted by Michael R
"We apologize for any ... confusion ..."
Confusion? With such clear statements? What a load of cow-dung. And this from essentially a marketing company.
How about: "We recently learned from a growing hoard of angry customers that our product Xtol can lead to poor results. We regret this. And while we also regretted an earlier batch of crappy Xtol and more recently a batch of D-76 that looked like cocoa powder, we remain committed to maintaining the highest standards when doing so doesn't cost us anything. Therefore, if you purchased a recent example of lame Xtol (cat # ...), please jump down a rabbit hole to possibly receive compensation. Thanks for choosing Kodak Alaris.
We all want Kodak Alaris to succeed, but they make it hard. Who wrote that mumbo-jumbo press-release?
Latest from Alaris (from a few days ago):
"If you have XTOL Catalog #1058338 with the following Date Codes: 2019/10/07, 2019/12/19, 2020/02/25, 2020/02/26, 2020/02/27, we are facing a trade concern with these batches and would like to get this taken care of for you.
Please email us at ProPaperChem@kodakalaris.com with your date code information and our team will respond with the proper next steps on this product.
We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused and thank you for your understanding."
I just finished processing for alternative printing four 8x10 Fuji Acos negatives using Kodak Xtol developer which I mixed yesterday using distilled water and all four were uniformly thin including the rebates notwithstanding that the time in the developer was 22.5 minutes. The negatives were shot with different lens on different days using a Sekonic L758-dr light meter to determine exposure. The Kodak catalogue number is 105 8338 with a manufacture date of 2019/08/09 and expiration date of 2022-08.
Threads merged. Since this seems to be an ongoing thing, might as well gather all of the reports in one place. Can we please try to keep it to factual reports about things we've seen in our darkrooms, with details as to usage, results and batch number, as well as Kodak Alaris bulletins about batches to watch for plus any other official advisories, and minimize the unproductive flaming about Kodak Alaris as a company?
Sent them an email with photo attached yesterday. When I was looking for a replacement developer (D-76) at B&H where I purchased the above from, I noticed that they tagged the new version developers from Kodak with "2019 Version" on their website. I think that this is a current widespread manufacturing problem at Kodak that encompasses many chemistry products including Xtol and D-76. Until they get this straightened out I'm switching the developer to Ilford's ID-11which is supposed to be similar to Xtol. This is a wake-up call and I am in the process of researching for a made from scratch developer.
I too am going to start making D-76 from scratch.
The data files which accompany the BTZS Plotter program comprise a large collection of rigorous film/developer tests. Using the Plotter software we can compare curves for film speed and contrast at different development times for most available B&W films and developers.
Most of them are so similar that it's hard to find any combination that is substantially better. One reason may be that many of the formulas are close variations of one another.
If we make huge prints, shoot very contrasty subjects, print with UV light or need exaggerated acutance, we may require special-purpose treatment. Otherwise, we are free to consider general-purpose formulas and secondary factors like simplicity, cost and toxicity. D-76 and other similar formulas are attractive: their recipes are in the public domain, are simple and affordable to mix from scratch.
What's taking you guys!?!! Not mixing dev from scratch yet???
Don't know what's up with Alaris, but some of my chem bulk stock is older then me and works fine...
And you are throwing away mark-up money...
Free yourselves...
Steve K
I just received a response:
On Monday, January 4, 2021, 11:55:09 AM PST, ProPaperChem <propaperchem@kodakalaris.com> wrote:
Thanks for reaching out to us and bringing this issue to our attention. Regarding our XTOL developer that you have we’ll certainly get this taken care of for you.
Given the circumstances, we’re going to go ahead and get this item replaced for you with new product. For this, we’ll just need some information from you. At your convenience, please reply to my email with the following:
• Phone Number:
• Preferred Email Address:
• Your Shipping Address (for replacement):
• Quantity of XTOL Developer for Replacement • Which Distributor did you purchase your XTOL Developer from?
Regarding the current XTOL product you have in your care, please feel free to dispose of it as there is no need to return this to us at Sino Promise.
We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you and that our product did not meet expectations. Rest assured that your replacement product will meet all appropriate criteria. I expect the replacement product to be sent to you by mid-February.
Thanks, and I’ll keep an eye out for your response and please don’t hesitate to keep in touch if you have any further questions.
I don't know if I am going to trust the replacement at this time. Probably wait to see if there are any complaints about the batch.
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