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Topic: Which is Better?
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Mitchell Dvoskin
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 128
From: West Milford, NJ
Registered: Jun 2008
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posted April 21, 2011 10:24 AM
> Elmo 16 A1
That is a very old model, which means that parts are non-existent should it need repair. The Elmo CL and CX series are great projectors, and most parts are available for them. These are slot load projectors.
Both Elmo and Eiki are excellent projectors, and if they are in good condition, should give you years of trouble free use.
Bell & Howell 16mm projectors were the most commonly used projectors here in the USA. They were very good projectors, but all of them (500, 1500,2500 series) contain a nylon work gear that will eventually crack and fail, even without use, rendering the projector inoperable. This gear can be replaced, but it is an expensive repair that you will not want to attempt yourself. If you find one with a new worm gear, the projector will outlive you, otherwise I would stay away from B&H.
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Dino Everette
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1535
From: Long Beach, CA USA
Registered: Dec 2008
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posted April 22, 2011 01:15 PM
The only thing I would add, since either make is going to give you a good experience (provided you opt for the CL instead of the AL)but depending on what you watch, the only difference I have seen is the Eiki seems more sensitive to shrinkage, causing the relooping mechanism to constantly activate.. That being said it was exactly that issue that allowed the extra footage of Metropolis to be found, since it was last projected by a man in the 1960's or perhaps early 70's who, in order to combat this held the mechanism so it wouldn't keep bouncing and it was held in such a way that he was forced to look at his watch the whole show, so he knew exactly how long the film lasted...He told a student this and the student patiently waited over the years until he was able to get access to the print at the national archives to double check what the professor had told him..
One last suggestion if you plan to watch silent films, you might want to consider getting a Kodak Pageant 250 series which allows for both 18fps, and 24fps...Happy projecting whichever model you choose..I am currently looking for an Eiki because I think I can modify it for 9.5 sound...
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"You're too Far Out Miss Lawrence"
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Jeff Taylor
Film Handler
Posts: 70
From: Chatham, NJ
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted May 13, 2011 01:35 PM
FWIW: If you do go with the Eiki, the model you want is the SSL (the last produced), which comes with various postscripts, such as 01. All the postscripts designate is whether it has speakers in the cover, whether it's magnetic sound as well as optical, etc. Nothing changes with the basic machine, and if you're showing films seriously you won't want the cheesy speaker in the cover. Regarding Kodaks, I won't knock the basic machine, but the 250s, which is widely viewed as the best of the line because it has a halogen lamp rather than the tungsten lamps of the 126 and 256tr models which preceeded it, has been the subject of some recent threads on another forum. Apparently the late models of this series have a motor which switched to sleeve bearings rather than ball bearings, and has a tendancy to wear, heat up, and stall. Apparently Kodak pinched pennies at the end. It is manual, has relatively open threading, has a sound focusing lever, and two speeds, but is relatively tough to find lenses for, has very limited parts availability, and may have the motor problem. Eiki and Elmo are both fine machines if well maintained, but Elmo just dumped all of their spare parts, has an issue with the rubber film transport rollers turning to goo which cost almost $100 to replace, and lenses are not very common. Finally, early Elmo 16-CL's had a take up problem which was later remedied by a toothed belt and new pulleys. Kits to retrofit this are available if you get one of the early ones. Eiki's have a focusing roller which acts like rack and pinion focusing utilizing a rubber like tire that also deteriorates, but this is easily remedied at home with a 3/4" piece of auto vacuum hose and I haven't found any other major faults. They have a very useful "flip up" lens holder for scope lenses, and also have a line out feature which is handy for connecting to a power amplifier for enhanced sound. I have two halogen and two xenon Eikis and haven't found an issue with the loop restorer.
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Jeff
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