So far, with my 3800 here in Honolulu, there are no sign of any abrasions, or susceptibility to abrasions with the Harman FB Al. I've tried corners of photo paper and my fingernail, but zilch, nada. A knife works, or the edge of a screwdriver, but that's about it. I do let them dry before I handle them much.
In my tests of the various "glossy fiber" and "baryta" papers by the numbers, what was most impressive about Harman FB Al are the absolutely smooth inking curves with no reversals or odd bumps in the plots, and excellent blacks (d=2.46) right near the end of the curve. This makes for a very linear response.
Yes, I do see evidence of very slight use of brighteners, but the paper white is better than most such papers to begin with, so it doesn't contain nearly as much OBA as the others. Highest OBA indication I've found so far is the Epson Exhibition paper. In comparison, the Harman gives me much better highlight separation because the Epson paper is actually darker than the Harman even though it looks as if it's about the same. Epson has better blacks at d=2.59, but then there is a slight reversal for several steps at the end of the plot, and some bronzing issues in the midtones. When it comes to the difference in the deepest blacks, one would need a very strong light to see the difference, and it's easier to block the shadows and lose detail with the long flat and descending top of the curve on the Epson paper.
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, again I prefer the Harman prints, even if the tones or colors match closely, because of the surface. It gives me visibly more detail than most "Baryta" papers and looks less "RC plastic" than some. I showed a black and white Harman FB Al print to a professional photographer friend, and asked him to tell me if it was digital or traditional silver. After a long, close study of it, he picked the latter. I can see a difference, but it's very close.
Aloha,
Aaron
