I'm asking this in a new thread because I had been using an older thread, but I think that the original topic may have obscured my concerns.

Here goes:

I have a Yankee tub-style print washer. Very simple. I use it in a casdade setup with a tray. Newly fixed prints go in the tray and get moved to the tub after ten munutes or so. It's a cumbersome setup, and has caused many a spill due to some unfortunate sink engineering for which I have myself to blame. However, I have been thinking of buying a Versalab print washer because I would like to save water and hassle. Before I do, I want to find out if I really need to go to that expense.

Question: print washers separate the prints vertically. In my tub and tray system, they lay flat, stacked on top of one another. Is this a problem? I've used a residual hypo test, and hypo clearing agent, and usually have to wash well beyond the suggested time of 20 minutes (using TF4 or Clayton AFC Archival fixer).
I shuffle the prints every few minutes. If my concerns are water savings and archivalness, would I be better off with a print washer, or can I merely re-engineer my sink and stick with the tub and tray system?

Thanks!

--Gary