Red Village makes archival print washers but they don't take credit cards and I am leary of sending a check. Can anyone vouch for them? How about their print washers?

-- jm thompson (pacthompson@juno.com), October 26, 1999

Answers

I bought one of his print washers. It is well-made, cheaper than the commercial ones. I sent him a check and had absolutely no problems. (Initially, I had the same reservations you express.)

I haven't run any tests on the prints to measure residual fixer, but now about a year later none are showing fixer stains.

-- Donald Karon (karon@ibm.net), October 26, 1999.

Before you buy the washer from Red Village, take a look here:

http://www.versalab.com/server/photo/products/washer1.htm

After considering the Red Village, Zone VI, and Versalab products, I'm personally going with Versalab. I've got no doubts that the Zone VI washer is excellent, however it is a bit pricey, and I've seen more than a handful that are being sold as cracked "fixer-uppers" second hand. Not a good sign. The Red Village washers look similar in construction. Looks to me like the Versalab washer is durable, and it would seem the design should be a bit more effective. I'm not afilliated with any of these companies, by the way, I'm just giving you my take on the products available. Good luck, and happy printing.

-- Paul Klingaman (pklingaman@hotmail.com), October 27, 1999.

I bought a Versalab 11x14 washer a few weeks ago. For my money, it is the best value. You couldn't break this thing if you wanted too! The "container" is the thickest plastic bucket I have ever seen! The hoses seem adequate. It has a very clever design. Two "over flow" tubes and a siphon keep it from over flowing. There is a hole in the siphon that gaurantee's that if the water stops, the water level will not drop too low.

It is ugly, but for $200 I'll survive!

-- Craig Brown (csbrown@tastybuzz.com), October 27, 1999.