In article <46t4ej$ljq@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, darmck@aol.com says...
>Wanted: Suggestions for best film-developer combo for a darkroom >newcomer who wants to shoot at EI 800 or 1600.
>I want fairly fine grain, but want to balance that need with ease of >use. (..) I want something fairly forgiving. (..)

It is hard to beat Tri-X at 800 in Acufine - uncantankerous to use, normal tonal range, reasonable grain (keep ALL liquids [including water]
at the same temperature), good sharpness, cheap, better results than
using the specialty speed films at this speed, can be stretched toward 1600 ASA with moderate loss of quality.
Hope this helps.