New Reloadable Film Cassette

[TomB_tx]

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When I ordered more film from Freestyle they noted that due to "supply chain issues" from the sudden increase in demand for film, that the traditional metal cassettes were not used in some films now. Instead they were using a reusable plastic cassette of a type I hadn't seen before. Instead of a removable end cap these snap apart lengthwise and they have a simple tool that opens them easily without damaging the cassette. This separates the velvet light seal so it can be easily cleaned. They are not DX coded, but Freestyle also sells DX labels that can be used. Freestyle's Arista brand now comes in these cassettes. Freestyle also sells the cassettes alone.

I bought a few rolls to try out (as I like the Arista films), and the cassettes work as advertised, and the tool easily opens them in a changing bag. 

Thought this could be of interest to others who bulk-load film.

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Edited March 16 by TomB_tx

[algrove]

Have not tried those. Do they in fact become light tight after reuse?

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[TomB_tx]

They should - I'll be testing in the next week

[TomB_tx]

On 3/21/2024 at 3:37 PM, algrove said:

Have not tried those. Do they in fact become light tight after reuse?

OK, I took one of these cassettes I had already reused once, and opened and closed it 12-15 times. Then loaded 400 ISO film and left it in bright light for a couple hours, probed it with an LED flashlight from all angles, took it outside for a while, then loaded it into my M6 and shot the roll. No sign of any light leak on the cassette or (whew) the M6.

So I'd say they can be reused multiple times without issues.