Thanks guys! Ive ordered from Maco (not 8x10 though), FotoImpex and B&H. Never from Freestyle. For some reason shipping costs with B&H are lower. Not a lot of 8x10 shooters in Norway, so the availability here is naturally not the best.
B&H is always going to be the least expensive supplier when it comes to shipping. Here in the USA, they do not charge for shipping at all if you spend $100 (which is VERY easy to do, as you know), and internationally I expect they are still very affordable.
That said, if you want TMY in 8x10, Freestyle has it in stock, and so if they are the only one and you really need it, you'd better buy it while you can. I guess it depends how badly you need it. Have you considered Ilford Delta 100 instead? It's an excellent film.
This is my concern as well.
The last time I set up an email notification for ordering T-Max 8x10" from B&H when it was back in stock, I waited a few days before intending to order, but then they were out again.
In addition of being out of both films at the larger European retailers, they are also out of both at B&H (no Ortho at Freestyle neither).
Maybe its just a bumb in availability, but I cant really remember the last time Ive been waiting so long for either of those two films. Which makes me concerned it may be a more permanent situation.
Perhaps contact Harman/Ilford directly and inquire? My impression is that Ortho in 8x10 is very much a niche product, and they sell very little of it. I'm betting they sell just enough to make production of it worth their trouble -
barely. If it were me, I wouldn't adopt a niche product and make it something I relied upon heavily, because you just never know when a film might be discontinued, especially something as niche as Ortho Plus 8x10. I don't expect T-max 8x10 to go away anytime soon - I think too many people use and love that film, in spite of its outrageous cost. Its current scarcity is likely just an anomaly.
If you need a "red blind" material, have you considered wet plate collodion? It's certainly more labor intensive, but it is very much an "Ortho" material and can produce great results. I used Ortho Plus in 4x5 many years ago and found it to be a bit of an odd film. Very nice, but odd, in that it didn't behave as I expected an Orthochromatic film to behave: it was capable of rendering clear blue skies with clouds, where I wouldn't expect to see much differentiation.
Question: are you working with Ortho Plus because you can develop it by inspection, under a safelight? Is that what appeals to you, or is it other traits you use it for?
