[Leica] Advice needed: Should I set up a darkroom or not?

[richard-lists at imagecraft.com (Richard)]

The last time I used a real darkroom was when I was in HS doing B&W 
literally in the apartment's bathroom. I was really happy that a few years 
ago I got a scanner, inkjet printer and photoshop, and after a couple years 
of fighting with color management, I am getting decent prints from the 
system. All these times, setting up a wet darkroom isn't even under 
consideration because there just isn't enough space in the garage. Last 
year I got the Jobo CPE-2 and now I am shooting 99% slides, and I scan the 
slides in with the rest of the workflow pretty much the same as if I start 
with digital capture

Anyway, our water heater died a few weeks ago, and we replaced it with a 
tankless on demand system. Meaning that all of a sudden there are some 
space in the garage!! If nothing else, now I can have the Jobo on its own 
table and not share it with the tools workbench.

However, I am wondering if I should move another step and get a wet 
darkroom setup. I can't imagine doing colors would be much fun, but how 
about B&W? I tried 2 rolls of TMax last year and got some chemicals to 
develop the film with the Jobo. However, I think to get them to scan in as 
simple and as easy as the slides would take a lot more disciplines on my 
part. With the LS-4000, I just turn on ICE and the dust would not show up 
on the slide scans. B&W doesn't have the extra layer so I cannot use ICE.

How many people are still printing their B&W using a wet darkroom? I 
understand the look of wet printed B&W is very different from the inkjet 
printed B&W, so any particular strong reasons to do wet prints any more? 
The used enlarger must be fairly cheap now? Don't Leica make some B&W 
enlarger too? I know I will have to remove dust and all that by hand. I am 
thinking that I can develop the film by hand as the Jobo probably isn't 
helping much there but using the Jobo to develop the prints. Anyone has 
experience with that?

// richard (This email is for mailing lists. To reach me directly, please 
use richard at imagecraft.com)