Another B&W Paper Discontinued

I just found out that Kentmere has discontinued its Art Classic paper.  No doubt a "correct" business decision for the company, but one that removes a great enlarging paper from the market.  For those who never used it, Art Classic was the successor to a paper called Charcoal, a single grade paper with a textured surface.  The paper's unique surface grave prints greater depth and a sense of mystery.  As an alternative, the best available substitute now available is Bergger's Fine Art Silver Supreme, which seeks to mimic the look of liquid emulsion.  Unfortunately, the Bergger is a relatively expensive paper and therefore best used only for exhibition prints.

I doubt that I will be using any more Kentmere papers.  I had a problem last year with a box of Kentona which I had purchased from Freestyle.  An entire box was wasted because of stippling on the paper which made it unusable.  When I emailed Kentmere about the problem, they blithely told me no one else had reported a problem and politely told me to get lost.  I would strongly suggest to anyone still doing b&w printing in the darkroom that they switch to Bergger which apparently has a much greater commitment to photographers still working with traditional materials.