Hokushin 16mm projector, Are they any good ?

[Steve Lee]

I am looking into buying a portable 16mm projector to use in my office/workroom, after giving many of them away over the years I now have a use for one.
After looking at the range of Hokushin machines, they look like they have been well designed. Is there anyone here on the forum that has had first hand experience with one, and if so what is the build quality like and are they reliable?
I would just like to know as much as possible about them before parting with any cash.
Steve

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

I once had Hokushin projector. Forgot the actual model no., but the autoload ones (the one with that unusual rotating feed arm). A pretty clever design as it would load every single time - never miss a beat. Its finish & fit seems not as stellar as Elmo, for example. However the build quality is adequate - it will get the job done, and it's pretty heavy too.

But there were some issues specifically to my machine. The MAG-OPT switch was somehow faulty (it didn't click and / or switch to the wrong mode, cant' remember the exact detail). And its running noise is horribly LOUD, to the point that I suspect something disastrous was about to occur even though the image was still clear & steady. therefore I eventually sold it away.

If the projector is still fully functional and the offer is relatively low, it would be quite interesting. However if it's more or less the same price as Eiki or Elmo I would not hesitate to choose the latter two, especially Eiki for its simplicity.

[Dave Groves]

Like Nantawat, I too owned a Hokushin. Mine too ran perfectly producing a bright steady picture but it was very noisy. I only found one firm selling a suitable zoom lens which they were charging a high price for even though it was chipped and visible to the viewer. As my shows were mostly public I sold it, but the threading arrangement was always a matter of interest. I seem to recall Hokushin also produced a smaller white projector which was recommended by a Christian film library but I suspect they were somewhat rare.

[Mark Barton]

I have two Hokushin 16mm with the rotating arm film feed. Beautifully made and work perfectly.

[Lindsay Morris]

The rotating arm threading Hokushin projectors SC10 etc are very rugged and reliable projectors and initially I had two which I modified for changeover to be able to use them Commercially to screen 16mm movies in small towns etc.
Frequently would use them to screen outdoors on a 4M wide screen as a commercial operation. Never had a problem with them at all they just went and went and went. Always kept them clean and well lubricated.

They were not unduly noisy although some I have since encountered were which was to do with poor alignment of the claw assembly.

In a commercial situation being able to easily unthread was a decided plus as getting the film out of a failed B & H TQIII was always a hassle.
Side by side comparison of light output with a SC10 and a TQ III machine the Hokushin has slightly MORE light which I attribute to the unique design of the shutter blades.
There were a few variations that came along with the SC10 machines such as a Hi/Low lamp switch, Bass & Treble controls rather than a simple Tone control and Mag/Optical sound capability.

The two I started out with did 12 months work for me screening twice a week at small towns and then a Film Society hired them from me for about 6 years screening monthly movies and apart from replacing a motor belt or two they never gave any trouble.

I still have another two I use from time to time but mostly now I use my Elmo 16CL 250W xenon machine as I have a range of lens to suit different throws for that.
It is also easy to fit a Scope lens to the Hokushin and that was where the shutter design produced a brighter scope image than the TQ III machines could.

Only problem with them now is that the large toothed belts they use inside start to become brittle and teeth come away and the belt becomes useless. I have NOT been able to find a source here in Australia to replace that belt but luckily I have wrecked a few SC10's for parts so had a stock of spare belts and other bits available.
Hokushin only ceased making the machines in the late 1980's AFAIK so a relatively new 16mm projector.

Good solid machine with a steady image sharp focus and ease of use coupled with quite crisp and clean sound.

[Kim Trampus]

I found this one! https://shopgoodwill.com/item/185683283
It looks like a Childs Toy from fisher price.

[Steve Lee]

The SC-210 is the last model that the company produced, it has some very high specs compared to most machines. I think it was intended for classroom use as it can rewind the film through the gate, by the means of retracting the sprockets so that a section of film can be played over again.
There is also a desirable 500w xenon model.

[Ashok Kumar]

What is your opinion on hokushin x1000 1000w xenon 16mm projector?

[Juergen Kellermann]

In my opinion, Hokushin projectors are very well built nice machines. In the US they were marketed under the Apollo brand.

See here for a short history and images...
https://eishaki.wordpress.com/2012/0...mm-projectors/

And here a list of models...
https://van-eck.net/en/spare-part-fi...k=76&type=none

I only discuss the models below, as I have seen and/or owned them. I haven't seen a Canary or other earlier ones.

The SC-10 is curious because of the loading arm, but this can break, esp. when not handled properly. Van Eck sells replacement gears for the mechanism, so repair is possible. The SC-10 came with optical sound and in a mag./opt. version. There are some slight variations. I think the purple painted machines are older than the blue ones. And more recently built models have an inching knob at the front. Lenses use an unusual non-standard diameter, 44mm, so you are stuck with the 50mm lens that it came with, the only option is to use a screw-on zoom-converter. They date from the 1970s and when in good order are running very well. The amplifier is an issue, as it is in one sealed unit, i.e. repairs are not really possible. And electronics of this age can fail (as I have experienced). So you need another spare projector for parts.

The SC-210 is one of my favourite projectors. It was the latest model, from the 1980s. It is a slot load and very quiet running. Lenses are now standard 42.5mm diameter, i.e. you can use lenses from other projectors/brands, e.g. EIKI, Siemens and Bauer. Again, it came in an opt. only and mag./opt. version. It comes in a Xenon version, with 250W lamp (X-280), 300W lamp (X-310) and 350W lamp (X-380). These are all very nice machines.

Apparently the 250W and 300W lamps are not available any more. But instead of the 300W lamp, some people are using a 350W lamp without problems. (I own an SC-310, but did not need a new lamp so far.) There is a central gear that can crack, but Van Eck sells new ones.

The other Hokushin Xenon projectors seem top have been manufactured in very small numbers. There are models with 300W, 500W and also 1000W lamps, maybe others that I have not heard of. See the above websites for examples. Some of them seem to have used the SC-10 mechanism and layout as template, others that of the SC-210. I don't know if it a good idea to buy a Hokushin Xenon projector - unless you have a second one for spare parts. The Xenon power supply can fail and it will be impossible to repair. It is not certain at all that you will find a Xenon lamp that fits, or other spare parts.

Here a manual for the 500W Xenon projector...
https://www.acofs.org.au/part_4_file...00%20xenon.PDF

If I buy a Xenon projector, I would choose an EIKI slot load, as these were probably the last projectors to be manufactured - i.e. up to the late 1990s.

[Juergen Kellermann]

And here another Hokushin model that I did not know about. The SC-11, built in 1979. This is basically the manual-thread version of the SC-10, i.e. without the circular arm. There can't be many of these around!

A person in Italy is selling one at the moment...
https://www.ebay.it/itm/126395624696

[David Kilderry]

I've owned a number of Hokushin projectors over the years. I currently use an X 300 Xenon projector as my main home theatre projector. I have two of these and they are excellent projectors. These larger xenon models were marketed as Rangertone projectors in the US in the 1970s and 80s.

I have also owned a number circload and regular loading smaller Hokushin 16mm projectors and they all produce a bright light and steady image. Many Hokushin projectors came from the factory with high quality Canon lenses. The bodies are mostly of metal rather than plastic construction.

When I worked at Hoyts Theatres we used Hokushin xenon powered carousel 35mm slide projectors for the pre-show advertising. Hoyts bought dozens of these units that were far better suited to commercial use than the Kodak Carousels we used initially with the bright light upgrade kits. Under commercial theatre use the Kodaks burnt out the lamp sockets. The Hokushin solution was a good one.