LPL vs Saunders Easel

can anyone please help me compare the LPL (Japan made) and Saunders
Easel? it seems the LPL easel is so much more expensive than LPL's.

i now use a Kaiser 11x14 easel am so unsatisify with it. it can not
produce perpendicular boarders on the paper, the two adjustable blades
are badly designed

ps. do you folks get any tips ( thoughts ) about printing w/o a easel?

thanks in advance.

-
woody

 

For RC paper (because it doesn't curl much) I have a sheet
of orange bristol board in a 16x20 easel with the outlines
of the paper sizes I use most often in black magic marker.
This works well for borderless prints.

Peter.

 

I assume you mean " ...the SAUNDERS easel is so much more expensive..."
and that you're comparing to the LPL economy easel. (LPL now makes a
four blade model that costs about the same as a Saunders)

If you examine them in person, you'll know. I've used both; the
Saunders is a precision piece of equipment, almost like a fine camera.
Thin blades that slide smoothly and stay perpendicular; little to no
play in the hinge; enought weight to keep it in place.

Will you see much difference in your prints? Probably not. the
difference is how much cursing in the dark you'll do.

 

For an "economy" 4-blade find an older 14x17 Omega
(pre-Saunders) not quite as nice as the newer beastie but a
lot of bang for the buck.
darkroommike

 

Peter,

i am not well understand what you said. what is you mentioned 'bristol
board' and what's the 'outlines of the paper sizes' ?

thanks.

-
woody

 

Scott,

did you mean that there are almost same in the results between using a
LPL or SAUNDERS?

-
woody

 

I use an orange card and draw an 8x10 rectangle on it using
a black magic marker and another 8x10 rectangle at a right
angle to the first one. This makes it easy to put the
enlarging paper where I want it.

Peter.

 

1, how do you fix the cards on the enlarger baseboard and how do you
fix the paper on the cards?
2, what the second rectangle use for?

thanks.

-
woody

 

Yes, or any other easel. In terms of the finished print, the visible
differences would be in how crisp the edges are, how straight the sides
are, and to a lesser extent how sharp the extreme edges of the print
are.

A good easel will have thin blades to give a nice crisp edge. It will
hold the blades exactly perpendicular so the printed area is a true
rectangle. it will also hold the paper as flat as possible for best
focus. All of these are subtle.

Heck, much as I love the Saunders I still have Speed Easels which fail
miserably on points one and three; but they're "good enough."

 

i found in the site: http://www.omegasatter.com/v2/products/displayproduct.cfm?ProdID=3267
that a LPL easel labeled as Omega/LPL. what means Omega/LPL ?

 

Omega distributes the LPL easels and enlargers.