As a confirmed DiXactol user I originally had very similar problems to those you outline. The unevenness you mention is often due to the use of spirals that have been used previously. In discussions with Barry Thornton I persevered and just bought a couple of new spirals which I keep just for DiXactol. Since then, no problem. I find that the monobath version is virtually as good as the 2 bath and is a lot easier to manage.(posted 8779 days ago)Some films react better than others, especially as to compensating effects. I now virtually exclusively use HP5+ in 120 and, believe it or not, Paterson Acupan 200 in 35mm. Used as monobath it can cope with very extreme contrast levels, although I at times extend the time in the 2nd use of the developer by up to another minute. it's not the finest grain developer I've ever used, but it can be bitingly sharp.
Personally I found it worth the effort to carry on, and you can find some updated info on Barry's website at:
www.barrythornton.co.uk
John Henry johnh@piperschool.com