I was fortunate to avoid this malady to a great extent. Fortunately when I got serious about my photography 15 years ago I took the advice of a teacher and stuck with a few basic materials and learned to get the most out of them. I started out with the Kodak Trinity- TriX, D76 and Dektol. I pretty much stuck with this combo along with expanding into TMAX films for 5 years. I removed some variables early by purchasing a Nikon FA and a new Beseler Enlarger. i learned that the technical side of photography is simply following sound scientific methods. Set a baseline of standards, Then experiment in a rational way to improve those standards. I discovered that with patience you can make any combination of film, paper, and chemistry produce excellent prints as long as you understand their strengths and work with them in mind. When I moved into large format 10 years ago I realized that I now had to eliminate more variables so with a used D-2 I purchased new lenses, and one new 150mm lens for the camera. No excuses for unsharp negs or prints except my technique. So i experiment, eliminate variables etc.
I still use Dektol, but I have grown to using other chemistry, specific developers for certain situations and certain papers for certain negs and I still test and experiment with them to get the results i want.
One last item, I have found that the other indespensible item(s) are some fine prints from other photographers that you can compare your work with. The quality of those prints was a good strating point to strive for.
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