Response to Xtol update... dreaded Xtol failures

Part of the reason I queried The Yellow Godfather was to see if the problems are finally solved because Xtol is a very good developer... if it is reliable. The other reason is that I do some custom processing and have a few clients who specifically request Xtol for their negatives. To date too many very good and careful darkroom worker have reported failures for me to rely on Xtol for anything. It is very nice when it works. But with EK now recommending no use of dilutions past 1:1 and their preference for it used straight, while at the same time seeing the original recommendations of "stable performance through a wide range of temperatures, dilutions, and agitation methods", "excellent keeping properties", "long, stable useful life", "Robust, abuse tolerant, and clean working". It seems that while the developer has the possibility of being an excellent product, something has gone seriously wrong somewhere. EK has admitted problems with the one litre packet. But the shelves of dealers across the world are still littered with leaking powder from the 5 litre packets that have not been properly sealed. I just threw out two 5 litre packets that were leaking due to improper sealing and both were replacement packets sent to me directly from Kodak in Rochester. With this problem still not solved & clients asking me to use Xtol to develop their film, I asked The Yellow Godfather once again if the problem was solved. The marketing people said yes, it is solved. So do the B&W pro products people at EK. That I had to get above them to get to the truth does not speak well of Kodak these days. Xtol could have been a Kodak flagship product. But, for whatever reason, it has failed to perform as advertised and Kodak has not been honest with us, its customers. While I have those who want me to use Xtol sign a release saying they know there can be a sudden & complete failure I think I will just stop using it completely. As I tell many who ask about products from The Yellow Peril. Agfa and Ilford make some very good products.

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