# Extractors: Mann Lake 18/9 vs. Maxant 20



## Cjj (Dec 12, 2015)

Following, I am also looking at those 2 extractor also the Lyson from betterbee


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

The Lyson extractors are made from a thinner material than the Maxant across the entire line. Caveat emptor.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

I have used Maxants one and own a Danant 20/30 towards the end of summer I started to run thirty frames loads of frames and it seamed to run better with the thirty in it.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

I have the Maxant. A friend has the Mann Lake. They are BOTH good extractors and come from fine companies. I don’t think you could go wrong with either. The Maxant is more heavy duty but the ML one spins out the honey just as well as the Maxant. 
Decisions, decisions.....


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

Thanks snl, that's the feedback I was looking for.

I prefer heavy duty, but at a $650 savings I can be swayed. That goes a long way in some other equipment.


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## texanbelchers (Aug 4, 2014)

I believe the motorized extractor is excluded from the additional off. The hand crank version is not in the exclusion list. 

https://www.mannlakeltd.com/shop-all-categories/bfcm17



> 11% Discount Exclusions: CN-075, DC-105, DC-110, DC-114, DC-115, DC-143, DC-144, DC-145, DC-650, DC-665, FD-211, FD-350, FD-351, FD-375, GC-025, GC-050, GC-075, GC-100, GC-125, GC-150, GC-175, GC-200, HD-565, HD-714, HH-130, HH-180, HH-190, HH-215,​ HH-826, HK-150, HK-170, VS-500, VS-501, VS-502, VS-503, VS-504, VS-505, VS-600, VS-601, VS-602, VS-603, VS-604, VS-605, WW-602, WW-607, GF-441, GF-442, customizable lables and lable customization fee.


I have been looking too. I like the idea of a bottom mounted motor, but like the more solid build of the Maxant. Definitely want to get to a programmable unit that should be best with a 3 phase AC motor.

I decided to wait a bit longer...


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

texanbelchers said:


> I believe the motorized extractor is excluded from the additional off.


I noticed that, but they applied the discount when I added it to my cart. I went as far as one step away from hitting "buy" and the discount was still there. Maybe it goes away when I hit the "buy" button though.


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## Cjj (Dec 12, 2015)

I just called Mann lake the 18/9 is $995.00 in store pickup , 11 % off list price if ordered on line , not 11% off sale price I guess we going to take a road trip


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

I own the Mann Lake 18/9. For us the deciding factor was a little more firm than in your case, I could buy the Mann Lake from local sources with no extra shipping charges at the time, and the Maxant was almost impossible to source here on Vancouver Island. In the 3 years we've used it, we have spun about 5000lb of honey thru the unit, it still looks like new. We use medium frames for honey supers, so it can take two boxes per load.

The only issue we have had with the unit, which probably doesn't apply to somebody south of the 49th, 5 gallon buckets come in two sizes, us gallons and imperial gallons. The imperial gallon buckets are about an inch to high to fit under the spout of the extractor when mounted on the legs it came with. We fixed that when we mounted it in our new 'bee shed', it's on a platform raised the hight of two 2x4's laid on the side. We went a step further, and that platform is hinged so we can tip it for cleaning. End result, the extractor is permanently mounted on a solid platform, still easy to clean, and now we can stick both sizes of buckets under the spout.

If we were set up to be extracting for weeks at a time during the season, we'd probably want something built a little heavier and would have bought the cowan 28, but that's not our case. We extract two, maybe 3 times a year, and can process the whole works in one day. Altho this one is considerably lighter built than others I have seen, it will last many years in our application running 20 to 30 colonies now, and slowly growing to the range of 50.

FYI, when the local club was in the market for a motorized extractor last year, I was the one tasked with choosing it. For that application, one that is going to be loaned out and moved a lot, I chose the maxant 6/9 which is an appropriate size for a club extractor, and much heavier built than the other options. I chose the maxant specifically because I expected it to be better at withstanding the abuse of a club loaner based on it's heavier construction.


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

What size frames are you typically extracting (majority)


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

I extract about 90% mediums. Maybe 10% shallows (bought someone else out and have some drawn shallow combs). I avoid extracting deeps like the dickens (the 6 frame extractor I have requires you to put baskets in, extract some, flip, extract some more, and repeat, which is a giant pain, plus I've had some blowout problems with deeps as I don't have a variatable speed extractor at the moment). I use deep frames full of honey for splits, when I have them.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

18/9 works good for me since i run 9 frames in my honey supers and 18 is exactly 2 supers.

i have the mann lake and it is just light enough for me to carry by myself from the garage outside for cleaning after extraction. 

if was was any heavier i would not be able to do this by myself and that would be a pain.

it's not clear to me that having heavier steel would make the unit last any longer.

i bought mine on sale as well and it has performed without a glitch from the get go.

that said, there are many here on the forum very happy with their maxant extractors.


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## Cjj (Dec 12, 2015)

Well the road trip to Mann lake in Wilkes Barre was a good one picked up the 18/9 extractor for $995. Some deep boxes for $9.50 and a 50 lb bag of pollen sub


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I bought the Mann Lake 9/18 because it was on sale at the time. I have no complaints. It has worked well for more than a decade for me. I think you'll be happy with either. I like the idea of supporting US manufacturing (Maxant) and if I had the money and if the Mann Lake had not been on sale I would have considered that a factor... Also Maxant seems to support even their oldest equipment to the best of their ability as far as parts availability.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

I'd go with the Maxant, I have a ML 18/9, it's ok, but I'm betting the maxant has better tolerances and runs smoother. On a side note, I can pick up the ML legs and all and move it around, so maybe that's a bonus of using thinner material.


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## Bkwoodsbees (Feb 8, 2014)

A few years back in your position. I chose the Maxant 20 frame extractor. I buy A lot from Mann lake so I have nothing against them. The Maxant was more money . I have never regreted my decision. I appreciate tools that are made to last.


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## Urbis Agricola (Nov 13, 2017)

Go with the Maxant. No question about it. You will note if you research that there are a lot of people who have been using Maxant extractors since forever and they are still working like a dream. I have the Maxant and my closest beekeeping buddy with whom I share work has the Mann Lake. He has had a couple maintenance issues and I have had zero. Just a cursory glance at the two extractors and you will see the Mann Lake looks like a Chinese toy compared to the Maxant. I could throw mine off my truck and chances are it would still work just fine. The Mann Lake? No way. That would be the end of it for sure. And I have absolutely no issues with Mann Lake generally speaking. They get the highest praise from me for their customer service and as far as I can tell they have the best prices--I don't really know anymore because I buy everything from them except higher dollar equipment like extractors, bottling equipment. If Maxant sells it, that's what I buy.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

I run around 50 hives and have the Maxant 9 frame 3100p and it’s all the extractor I need. If you ever increase to around 70 to 100 hives then I would consider stepping up. Maxant is extremely well made and you’ll always have good customer service if you need a replacement part.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

There is a Maxant 10/20 frame 1400 pl on craigslist not too far away. IMO, it is a tad overpriced at $1000. For someone who wants to upgrade, it might be a good fit. This listing will expire in a few more days.

https://northmiss.craigslist.org/grd/d/honey-extractor-maxant/6347786455.html


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## GoodyFarms (Jul 10, 2016)

I own a Maxant 20 and if you extract a lot of deep frames I would look elsewhere. They are a BEAST to load and trying to get that 10th deep frame into it is down near impossible. The belt also sheds a lot of dust. That being said they are workhorses. 

For the huge price difference, I'd go with the Mann Lake. $600 is halfway to buying a heated honey tank.


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## deansherwood (Aug 2, 2016)

I was faced with the same decision last year. Biggest factor for me was that the Maxant is made in the USA. I would feel like a bit of a hypocrite for buying an import extractor then expecting people to buy my local honey vs the cheaper imports. Add to that thicker stainless and a simpler, more robust design and the decision got easier. So far the unit has worked great.


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## ams0178 (Feb 24, 2016)

Based on the feedback within this thread and another one or two on extractors, it looks like I'll be going with the Mann Lake 18/9 frame or Maxant 20 frame extractor. I have a local Dadant distributor if I wanted to go that direction.

My question is regarding running an extractor of this size without it being bolted down and has anyone run into issues? I imagine you could run through bearings and parts faster. A honey house / retrofitted shed is down the road at some point, but up til now its been carting our small 2 frame extractor from the basement to the kitchen. Does anyone think its okay to run these extractors not bolted down in a kitchen? 

If I need to bolt it down, I'll probably make a temporary spot in the basement or garage with anchors. Let me know what you all think.

Thanks!


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## deansherwood (Aug 2, 2016)

I have the 20 frame Maxant with casters attached to the steel legs so I can roll it out of the garage to pressure wash when done extracting. I tried a couple things to keep it from walking around, I settled on a plywood bracket which clamps around the tank, attached to a heavy workbench. The whole thing sways a little but stays in place, it only takes a minute or so to release the extractor so I can tip it to drain or move it outside to clean. If I had a wall without shelves or cabinets on it I would just attach it to that instead.


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