# lega uncapper



## camero7

Anyone using the Lega uncapper? Thoughts?


----------



## blueskybeesupply

We just brought the Lega ROLL uncapper to market this year (it's the rev. 2 of the horizontal hand-crank chain uncapper Mr. Lega designed, now knocked off by another company in China). So, although many have gone out since January, folks down south are just beginning to use them. All who have received them are ecstatic, with the beautiful design and simplicity and compact form factor. The speed is great and no more carpal tunnel and hand fatigue trying to mess with knives. We love them and saw them in action in Italy last fall and had to bring them to the USA. It's simply the newest and best tool on the market (well that and the Hot Air Mite Vaporizer).

See a video of it in action at: http://www.blueskybeesupply.com/lega-table-top-uncapper-lgtt-uc/

http://www.blueskybeesupply.com/hot-air-oxalic-acid-vaporizer-by-lega/

The Lega ROLL uncapper will remove very little wax, so if you need wax (and the wasted melter honey that goes with processing it), then this will not supply you with a ton. However, what it will do, is speed things up dramatically and affordably, allowing you to do other things and get every drop of honey from your frames with no mess and fuss!


----------



## camero7

I've seen the video and I'm interested. How easy is clean up on this. Do the knives need to be resharpened? Seems like the honey would have to be pretty warm to do a good job extracting. Can you replace the knives?


----------



## blueskybeesupply

The cutting teeth are nylon, similar to self-healing cutting boards. Individual teeth can easily be replaced, however it would be years before you would have to do that. They actually wear in very nicely and the machine works better as you use it.


----------



## camero7

I would appreciate anyone who is using this in their honey house to respond. Thanks Bluesky


----------



## mike17l

Like Blue Sky said, they just showed up in the US. A friend is getting one in today. I hope to help him extract after tallow and see for myself how well it does.


----------



## crofter

How similar are the cell cutting rollers to the roller on the woodpecker type hand capping perforater? I played with that a bit but found that the frames had to be definitely nice and warm. Is temperature a consideration?


----------



## camero7

crofter said:


> How similar are the cell cutting rollers to the roller on the woodpecker type hand capping perforater? I played with that a bit but found that the frames had to be definitely nice and warm. Is temperature a consideration?


I asked that question before and it was ignored. If I buy it I expect to have to have a warming room.


----------



## Vance G

I run eight frames in ten frame supers. I take it this machine won't flatten them back down, or will it? And what are the heating requirements?


blueskybeesupply said:


> The cutting teeth are nylon, similar to self-healing cutting boards. Individual teeth can easily be replaced, however it would be years before you would have to do that. They actually wear in very nicely and the machine works better as you use it.


----------



## camero7

New post on Facebook about the Lega unit:

"HOWEVER, it really is designed for doing DEEP frames. The support that stops the frame from falling over backwards is only long enough to reach deeps. Mediums (and shallows) are below the back support and can fall over backwards instead of being pushed through the rollers. The handle can not be adjusted for a shorter stroke making it harder to line up for mediums - especially without the back support! 

I do NOT see any way to adjust those things (without a drill and modifying the tool!), but I plan to call Blue Sky today and ask about these adjustments. A longer support would be all it took to really fix these two issues. I don't know why it doesn't come with a support that can handle all three common frame sizes!"

My understanding is that Blue Sky is working on a solution but haven't come up with one yet. Any comment Blue Sky? Since I run all shallows that is a deal breaker for me.


----------



## Gilligan

I am expecting ours to be delivered any minute now.

We run only mediums so I'm very interested in those comments from Facebook... then again, it is FB. 

I have a few frames in my van so I'll grab them and see how they run through the machine when I get it... assuming I have enough time.


----------



## mike17l

Gilligan said:


> I am expecting ours to be delivered any minute now.
> 
> We run only mediums so I'm very interested in those comments from Facebook... then again, it is FB.
> 
> I have a few frames in my van so I'll grab them and see how they run through the machine when I get it... assuming I have enough time.


You'll find those FB comments are spot on.


----------



## camero7

I almost ordered it... called for freight quote and was going to order when I saw the Facebook post. Interesting how Blue Sky doesn't answer questions when it's problematic for their product.


----------



## Gilligan

Yeah, that's making me nervous.

Stupid freight company doesn't seem to know where my address is, even though you can just pop it in google and it comes right up. It's only a small shopping center with 4 businesses in it that get freight delivered every month to every quarter. :scratch:

So frustrating... we are literally on a hwy. You can punch our address into any GPS and it will take you right to our shopping center. You gonna tell me you didn't put it on the truck because you didn't know where my address was?! Doesn't put much faith in you as a TRANSPORTATION company!!!


----------



## Gilligan

Looks like there is really only one or two bits that might give problems.

The back stop bar seems like it should be long enough or if not then could be pretty easily extended (though you shouldn't have to modify a brand new $1,000 piece of gear!) The other bit would be the flanges on the side that seem to "squeeze" your end bars to help center. If those can't be lowered then it seems like something that would just be a small bit of inconvenience. Again... not something you should have to deal with on a new piece of gear like this.

What I don't understand is that Lega sells frames as well. They sell "Brood" frames and "Super" frames. So, you telling me that this is designed to run "Brood" frames through? That just doesn't make sense.

Hopefully I'm just missing something and there is an easy and readily available fix for them to send us users. I would also assume that any of these mods they come up with to this unit would be sent out to us at no charge.

I sure hope that is the case.


----------



## camero7

Don't hold your breath... no one who sells them is responding.


----------



## Gilligan

Well, I put my money down as well as bought an extractor from BlueSky... I EXPECT to get some answers if I have some issues!


----------



## Gilligan

Ok, I got it in.

Definitely right about not really "naturally" supporting the medium frames. Not sure what the hell that is all about.

Sending an email off to Blue Sky next just wanted to share this picture real quick.


----------



## Gilligan

Just got an email back (an hour after sending my concern). They are aware of the issue and addressing solutions right now and will be taking care of previous customers.

So far I'm pretty happy.

I can see how a few simple modifications could fix this very easily.

We are looking forward to extracting and trying this puppy (and our new extractor) out!


----------



## blueskybeesupply

Hello all. Apologies, I'm not on the forums as much as I used to be (we are busy packing those orders to go out quickly). Gilligan did contact me by email today and told me there was some discussion on the uncapper that I was not aware of and I needed to respond to. In the future, I will try and figure out how to have "alerts" turned on for threads pertaining to our products that I comment on.

The only negative feedback we have received in the last few days (from just a couple of people) is:

1.) *The backstop rest needs to be longer for our USA Langstroth Mediums and Shallows*. 
Truth be told, if the backstop wasn't even on the machine, there would probably be no comment on it or desire for one. You would simply place the frame between the rollers, lock down the top bar gripper and pull the handlebar down and repeat. Nonetheless, we have asked Lega to make us a longer backstop. We will send them at no charge to all who have ordered and will order.

2.) *The spring-action handlebar returns to its highest position, as if it were only set for deeps.*
This is an easy fix as well. We have asked Lega to develop simple metal inserts that can block/lock into the green travel channel. In this fashion, you will be able to set for the frames you use. Again, these add-on parts will be sent at no cost to all early adopters and those who order.

With these 2 updates, we will "Crank it to 11" as they say. Lega designs processing equipment for over 40 different sizes of frames and the majority of those frames in Europe are of the deep variety. So, a few simple updates and all will be well.

For those of you who do not know, Mr. Lega designed the original tabletop CHAIN uncapper, that is now knocked off in China and being sold by other companies that is now of very low quality and at a very HIGH price. The ROLL uncapper we sell is of the highest Italian quality, as the original was, but we priced the the ROLL uncapper to make it more affordable for the sideliner beekeeper.

Again, never hesitate to contact us via phone (877) 529-9233, email or Facebook for the best response. We take care of our customers and these parts were planned to be sent whether they realized it or not (we have only received questions on these issues from 2% of those who have purchased).


----------



## blueskybeesupply

camero7 said:


> I almost ordered it... called for freight quote and was going to order when I saw the Facebook post. Interesting how Blue Sky doesn't answer questions when it's problematic for their product.



Apologies, I am not aware of the Facebook post. Can you provide the link or PM me? I'll be happy to address your concerns. I'm a straight-shooter and won't try to sell you something I don't believe in. - Jamie


----------



## Gilligan

blueskybeesupply said:


> ...In the future, I will try and figure out how to have "alerts" turned on for threads pertaining to our products that I comment on. ...


Just make sure you "subscribe" to the threads. It's under "Thread Tools" at the top of the forum. I personally go into my profile and set mine to automatically subscribe to anything I post on as default. You can always turn it off if a topic gets too out of hand.


----------



## My-smokepole

What are you to do if you run both med and shallows at the same time. Been thinking about buying one.


----------



## Gilligan

I could see how they could make interchangeable pieces and a long enough back stop to not need to switch, just adjust.

Do your frames in batches. Get all the mediums done, then the shallows. Only have to "convert" once.


----------



## vdotmatrix

Well this is just great. I have my Sideliner uncapper sitting in the garage in its packing crate and I havent even opened it now i get this notice that is BOUT $500 CHEAPER. Please please submit a detailed report on how this thing works becuase BM has a 30 100% full refund policy...if this thing works better, I will return BM and get this one.... THANKS


Gilligan said:


> Well, I put my money down as well as bought an extractor from BlueSky... I EXPECT to get some answers if I have some issues!


----------



## Gilligan

We should be running it shortly... thought we were gonna do it this past week/weekend, but other projects came up.

Positive, we have a nice big honking solar wax melter that we finished up last night!


----------



## camero7

> We should be running it shortly...


With fixes?


----------



## Gilligan

No word since what you have read above on the "fixes" yet.


----------



## vdotmatrix

OKAY peeps, let hear some reviews about the LENA UNCAPPER!!! How much was shipping to your location?


----------



## Miketx

I would be interested to see some extracted frames fresh out of the extractor to see if the knives open the cappings enough to allow all of the honey to vacate the cells


----------



## vdotmatrix

BUMP BUMP BUMP...surely some one is using this thing by now...SPEAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Miketx said:


> I would be interested to see some extracted frames fresh out of the extractor to see if the knives open the cappings enough to allow all of the honey to vacate the cells


----------



## Polarbees

I own one of these, and used it to extract approximately 13 000 pounds of honey last year. We use mostly deep frames, but we also extract a few medium supers every year. 

We found that it works as advertised, and we had no problem staying ahead of our 20-frame extractor.

There are a few negative points to mention: First, the frames need to spend a little more time in the extractor, particularly is the honey is very dry. Second, shallow cells need to be opened with a fork or other method. Third, much less cappings wax is harvested, since the cells are cut rather than sliced open. Finally, the rotary blades need to be cleaned frequently, or else the accumulated wax will tear stripes through the drawn frame. We found it necessary to clean it with an uncapping fork roughly every two extraction cycles, and thoroughly at the end of each day. You really don't want honey to dry up on those rotary cutters. 

On a positive note, it is really quite fast when the cells are drawn deep and are evenly capped. In my opinion, it is an excellent uncapper for someone running 9-frame honey supers.


----------



## Miketx

Good review. 

I happened to stumble across an old silver queen with the water pump this weekend. Stands and tanks included. 

Still not sure if I want to deal with all the cappings or not. 

I have to get this s q cleaned up and run some frames thru it


----------



## BooneCtyBeek

My bill of lading said it was 116 lbs for shipping. No way.


----------



## Gilligan

BooneCtyBeek said:


> My bill of lading said it was 116 lbs for shipping. No way.


Yeah, maybe that is including the pallet.


----------



## Hiwire

It sounds like the modifications may be slow in coming, but I really like the video. I also like the idea of no cappings, no wax melting, no melter honey. What is the turn around time on ordering one of these? Have these modifications been completed yet? PLEASE let us know when the revamped version is available and how long it might take to be delivered.
Ray


----------



## Hiwire

How many frames does the rack hold before it has to be emptied??
Ray


----------



## camero7

Hiwire said:


> It sounds like the modifications may be slow in coming, but I really like the video. I also like the idea of no cappings, no wax melting, no melter honey. What is the turn around time on ordering one of these? Have these modifications been completed yet? PLEASE let us know when the revamped version is available and how long it might take to be delivered.
> Ray


got this from Blue sky:
Cam:

They aren’t fixes, they are enhancements.

The travel limiter inserts were my idea for improvement. The backstop is any easy modification and in the interim if it is an issue, a length of PVC can be placed over the metal stop for mediums and shallows. Very easy.

Plenty of folks are using the machines without issue.

We will send an update kit to all who have ordered in 4-6 weeks. Lega is engineering them and preparing for production.

Best,
Jamie Morehead
Blue Sky Bee Supply


----------



## raku

I'm considering to buy the lega-uncapper too.
But how about uncapping Langstroth deeps and using a radial extractor? The main harvest comes from oilseed rape - a honey with a higher viscosity.
I'm not sure, if an uncapper with knifes would be the better opition for getting the frames empty. 
Thanks for the help.


----------



## raku

Up.


----------



## blueskybeesupply

Lega has completed our newly designed backstops. They will arrive in approx. 4-5 weeks and we will send to the many folks who have purchased. Again, the backstop in no way inhibits the usability of the uncapper and is more of a convenience--in case you want to answer the phone or grab a doughnut mid push. However, when you are uncapping, you are going to place the frame in, lock it and drive it home in just 2 seconds. When we use it, we don't even use the backstop and actually tilt it away.

These are doing very well for folks based of the feedback and for that, we are happy. It's extracting time and people want something that gets the job done very quickly, effortlessly and saves your wrists and hands from fatigue. No cranking the bicycle chain on the old style tabletop uncappers with a hand crank (and jamming).

These do ship by freight on a wood pallet for protection. They are in stock and we can ship same or next day.


----------



## blueskybeesupply

Hiwire said:


> How many frames does the rack hold before it has to be emptied??
> Ray



It will hold 10 frames in the rack. 

It can also be mounted (without the legs) to the Lega Combo Extractor/Uncapping Tank and most uncapping bins--which allow even more streamlined and stress-free extracting!

LEGA 10 FRAME EXTRACTOR & UNCAPPING COMBO


----------



## jnoetzelman

blueskybeesupply said:


> Lega has completed our newly designed backstops. They will arrive in approx. 4-5 weeks and we will send to the many folks who have purchased. Again, the backstop in no way inhibits the usability of the uncapper and is more of a convenience--in case you want to answer the phone or grab a doughnut mid push. However, when you are uncapping, you are going to place the frame in, lock it and drive it home in just 2 seconds. When we use it, we don't even use the backstop and actually tilt it away.
> 
> These are doing very well for folks based of the feedback and for that, we are happy. It's extracting time and people want something that gets the job done very quickly, effortlessly and saves your wrists and hands from fatigue. No cranking the bicycle chain on the old style tabletop uncappers with a hand crank (and jamming).
> 
> These do ship by freight on a wood pallet for protection. They are in stock and we can ship same or next day.


Just to be clear, these backstops are to make it work reliably with medium and shallow frames?


----------



## Gilligan

Correct, as it sits now, you have to hold it in position to lower the "handles" that push the frame down. The backstop puts it in proper place for you.

BTW, we used ours today. Overall, we approve. It worked well. A few hiccups/gotchas that don't dissuade use from it. My biz partner used to run a commercial operation back in the 80's and I asked him if he felt it was worth the money and he did.

I have some pics and vids that I can post later... just wanted to let everyone know it worked as expected, better than expected and not quite as good as expected. 

Ask as many questions as you would like and I will try to address them when I add the pics/vids.

Oh, you will also see, there are virtually NO cappings and barely any honey to recover from the procedure, but what honey is left is SUPER easy to recover.


----------



## camero7

Apparently the fixes are on the way. I'm going to order one next week.


----------



## Gilligan

*Re: lega uncapper [Review]*

So, we extracted 48 frames (40 mediums and 8 shallows, I think). Got about 16 gallons of honey and probably a cup of "cappings".

*What we expected and was happy with: *

It worked pretty well, even when it couldn't really break the cells (due to uneven drawing by the bees) our little spikey roller was able to get in there and finish the job quite easily.
It was quick, there were two of us and even with having to use the spikey roller from time to time (and sharing it) it was keeping up with the loading process of our Blue Sky 9 frame extractor. We were both working at a pretty leisurely pace.
Extraction (spinning) went pretty much as we expected, it probably doesn't go AS fast as with knives but that is because it's coming out of slits vs an open cell. We could have run them longer or even spun them faster (never went above 80%) but we didn't have our extractor mounted and didn't even have the rubber feet installed so if it had any sort of balance issues, I had to hold it down.

*What didn't go quite as expected:*

Seems like we might need to sort frames by "fullness" if we don't want to use the manual spike roller. This would allow us to adjust the width of the uncapper knives based on thickness of the comb. It doesn't cut well enough if it's then and it crushes if it's thick, but mostly it was just right. You will see in our video that we did a really full one and it ripped open the comb a bit, this was really the only one that was that bad, I just wanted a video of honey oozing. If you look at the pics you will see what the mostly looked like.
The pusher bar (that moves it along on the rack) pushes it RIGHT underneath the knives so any honey on there is dripping right on the top of the bar. Not a big issue.

*What went BETTER than expected:*


VERY little cappings, you will see from the pictures there is almost NO cappings in the catch pan and just a bit that collected under the knife cleaning plates.
Knives stayed VERY clean, as you will see in the pictures. This is all running 48 frames, not stopping and cleaning anything. We ran it all into a 600 micron bucket filter (mann lake) and we never had to clean it, even after pouring the catch basin into the extractor. Wait, I take that back, we did dump it into a pan at the end just because our buckets were too full to just leave it sitting on top and I didn't want to hold the strainer longer than I had to. If we would have had an extra bucket, I'd have just let it sit and not cleaned it. That said, we will likely pre strain the catch basin with a small hand held strainer, just to catch the few larger bits... we got it, might as well use it kind of thing.
Very little honey dripping, we never did just load the rack and let it sit, we only uncapped as we loaded the extractor. We did run a frame or two and let it sit while extracting on the first run and it was dripping pretty good, which is probably why we paced ourselves the way we did.
The little spikey roller, I know that's not related to the uncapper but it might be due to already tearing the cappings with the knives (just not enough) that little guy was working VERY well.


Just watched this video again, definitely the WORSE of the ones to show cappings and dripping. You will see. Compare that to the (blurry) picture of the uncapped frame below and you will be able to see how little usually showed up.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwdPJ7c6eSh6NHpscmhtX3MtS0k

This is just a video for us to show the extractor running but it has an uncapped frame sitting on the rack (this was that first run that we left a couple sitting on the rack).
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwdPJ7c6eSh6RnlLNk0yTHVlemM

Here is the blurry picture of a pretty nice uncapped frame, I'd say most were more like this, next being a few spots needing the roller and then only a couple ended up like that video.








Here is the catch basin after all 48 frames, we never skimmed any cappings and only picked out a few bees that made their way in.








Here are the top of the knives, again ZERO cleaning during the process.








This is the underside where the few cappings did collect, both sides looked about the same (one would have had the camera shooting right into the light overhead so I only have one side. This is mostly because of those one or two bulging frames that we didn't make adjustments for. With adjustments I don't think they would have been as bad (and they weren't bad either way... probably not worth adjusting for just a couple).








Again, any other questions fire away and I will attempt to answer them.


----------



## camero7

*Re: lega uncapper [Review]*

Thanks very much. I'm ordering one next week.


----------



## BooneCtyBeek

*Re: lega uncapper [Review]*

Here's my experience with the Lega. Your comments sum it up well. And you hit the positive things about this equipment.

Here are the items which I believe need improvement.

1-It looks like you had nice, new, white combs. I've found that frames which had been laid in, dark comb, harder comb did not do well. The comb would gum up underneath. The cutters wouldn't spin. The comb would get torn up going through.

Suggestion: put thumb screws on the cleaning plates. This would make them easily removed and help cleaning.

2-I had the same thought that comb may have to be sorted based on thickness. That is a time waster. I have 90 hives, a 20 frame extractor and need to save time. As we all know the bees don't build out the combs in nice, neat, uniform thicknesses even within one super.

3-Related to #2. Yes, the blades can be adjusted. Another time waster. And, I can see the threads in plastic rail getting stripped out over time even if one is careful and doesn't Tommy Torque them.

Suggestions: engineer a rotary dial for the user to adjust the blade width. This would be one enhancement which would make this uncapper a '10'. Address the potential for the adjusting screws to strip out the plastic rail.

4-Plastic catch tray is cumbersome to pour and empty.

Suggestion: make it out of harder plastic (like the Mann-Lake decapping tub). Provide a hole for a honey gate.

Thanks, Jaimie from BlueSky for being responsive to suggestions. I hope you will pass these back to Lega.


----------



## hilreal

*Re: lega uncapper [Review]*



camero7 said:


> Thanks very much. I'm ordering one next week.


Any report back on your experience?


----------



## camero7

*Re: lega uncapper [Review]*

I didn't order it. I saw a couple of negative posts on it and decided against it. Haven't decided but am thinking about the Better Bee one that Astro posted about
http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...yson-Manual-Steam-Uncapper&highlight=uncapper


----------



## CTO322

I bought 360 kg size honey press. Aware it is not an uncapper. The customer service has not been there. Has never worked. The company has quit responding to my emails. I wish I had done more research.


----------



## Planner

The rollers system seems to be similar to the Brushy Mountain uncapper. It was mentioned that the Lega will not create very much wax and that is due to the rollers slicing thru the comb. My experience with the roller system in Brushy Mountain is that it also does produce very much wax but the biggest downside is that I have too spin much longer. Simply there is a need to take more wax and reduce spinning time. Appears to be the same system as BM but vertical rather than horizontal.


----------



## beemandan

Planner said:


> Simply there is a need to take more wax and reduce spinning time.


I have one concern about the 'uncappers' that don't actually remove the caps but slit them open. I let the local bees scavenge my post extracted frames. When I uncap with a hot knife the scavengers simply clean up the residual honey without damaging the comb. If there's cap left...will they chew the comb down like they do when robbing capped honey?


----------



## IceMarc

I'm in Love! Thanks to Irina at Blue Sky, Super services WoW!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


----------



## camero7

Are you doing surgery or extracting honey:scratch:


----------



## vdotmatrix

What 's the bottom line on this product , a year later? Brushy mountain or this Lega?


----------



## blueskybeesupply

Considering the one Brushy sells is a Chinese copy of the original Lega, I would say the newest vertical Lega uncapper we sell is the best. We have used both. The old horizontal version Brushy sells jams up, is chain driven, the single piece roller crushes comb and is not self cleaning. There is no comparison. People return Brushy's for ours--not the other way around.


----------



## vdotmatrix

Being one of those who infact did return the sideliner back to BM last year because i heard about the lega at the last minute. I still have an expense account for this piece of equipment. I am sure you have followed this thread from the beginning and seen our concerns. What improments/fixes if any are new for 2017 for the lega?


blueskybeesupply said:


> Considering the one Brushy sells is a Chinese copy of the original Lega, I would say the newest vertical Lega uncapper we sell is the best. We have used both. The old horizontal version Brushy sells jams up, is chain driven, the single piece roller crushes comb and is not self cleaning. There is no comparison. People return Brushy's for ours--not the other way around.


----------



## vdotmatrix

Does anyone know how much thr shipping weight is for this? Does anyone remember if they were charged tax?


----------



## Opie

Has anyone tried this with foundationless frames?


----------



## vdotmatrix

I just got the lega uncapper. Shipping was super fast. The box it came in was terrifyingly GIANT but the uncapper is not as big as that big box. The instructions manual (hhahahahahahaha) is no frills or stapled and in 4 languages....missing a lot of basic info to be desired.


----------



## vdotmatrix

My uncapper is missing the BLACK feet and tops to the legs as seen in this image. The plastic tub comes from IKEA., it still had the sticker on it. I wonder how much I could have saved in shipping if I just drove to IKEA here and bought the tub myself...Does anyone else have a source for maintenance or additional INFO on this uncapper?I think more documentation is warranted for a tool that costs $1000. Any ideas?


BeeBad said:


> I just got the lega uncapper. Shipping awas super fast. The box it came in was terrifying. The uncapper is not as big in that big box. The instructions manual (hhahahahahahaha) is no frills or staples and in 4 languages....


----------



## angryhippie

A tub from Ikea? Is that even food grade plastic?


----------



## vdotmatrix

Well its been ayear since post was made. Longer backstop and channel locks to accomodate mediums better. No response to address this .


blueskybeesupply said:


> Hello all. Apologies, I'm not on the forums as much as I used to be (we are busy packing those orders to go out quickly). Gilligan did contact me by email today and told me there was some discussion on the uncapper that I was not aware of and I needed to respond to. In the future, I will try and figure out how to have "alerts" turned on for threads pertaining to our products that I comment on.
> 
> The only negative feedback we have received in the last few days (from just a couple of people) is:
> 
> 1.) *The backstop rest needs to be longer for our USA Langstroth Mediums and Shallows*.
> Truth be told, if the backstop wasn't even on the machine, there would probably be no comment on it or desire for one. You would simply place the frame between the rollers, lock down the top bar gripper and pull the handlebar down and repeat. Nonetheless, we have asked Lega to make us a longer backstop. We will send them at no charge to all who have ordered and will order.
> 
> 2.) *The spring-action handlebar returns to its highest position, as if it were only set for deeps.*
> This is an easy fix as well. We have asked Lega to develop simple metal inserts that can block/lock into the green travel channel. In this fashion, you will be able to set for the frames you use. Again, these add-on parts will be sent at no cost to all early adopters and those who order.
> 
> With these 2 updates, we will "Crank it to 11" as they say. Lega designs processing equipment for over 40 different sizes of frames and the majority of those frames in Europe are of the deep variety. So, a few simple updates and all will be well.
> 
> For those of you who do not know, Mr. Lega designed the original tabletop CHAIN uncapper, that is now knocked off in China and being sold by other companies that is now of very low quality and at a very HIGH price. The ROLL uncapper we sell is of the highest Italian quality, as the original was, but we priced the the ROLL uncapper to make it more affordable for the sideliner beekeeper.
> 
> Again, never hesitate to contact us via phone (877) 529-9233, email or Facebook for the best response. We take care of our customers and these parts were planned to be sent whether they realized it or not (we have only received questions on these issues from 2% of those who have purchased).


----------



## vdotmatrix

I know right. I am pretty sure it is not food grade.


angryhippie said:


> A tub from Ikea? Is that even food grade plastic?


----------



## vdotmatrix

There is no way it weights 116 pounds as the shipping manafest says. HEY COULD I HAVE BEEN CHARGED $200 plus dollars to ship something someone thought weighs 116 pounds. It is not 116 pounds....so


BeeBad said:


> I just got the lega uncapper. Shipping was super fast. The box it came in was terrifyingly GIANT but the uncapper is not as big as that big box. The instructions manual (hhahahahahahaha) is no frills or stapled and in 4 languages....missing a lot of basic info to be desired.


----------



## vdotmatrix

*Re: lega uncapper [Review]*

What kind of bin came with your extractor? Is it food grade? Mine came from IKEA. did you get any upgrades from blue sky concerning the backstop or channel lock to better accomodate mediums?


Gilligan said:


> So, we extracted 48 frames (40 mediums and 8 shallows, I think). Got about 16 gallons of honey and probably a cup of "cappings".
> 
> *What we expected and was happy with: *
> 
> It worked pretty well, even when it couldn't really break the cells (due to uneven drawing by the bees) our little spikey roller was able to get in there and finish the job quite easily.
> It was quick, there were two of us and even with having to use the spikey roller from time to time (and sharing it) it was keeping up with the loading process of our Blue Sky 9 frame extractor. We were both working at a pretty leisurely pace.
> Extraction (spinning) went pretty much as we expected, it probably doesn't go AS fast as with knives but that is because it's coming out of slits vs an open cell. We could have run them longer or even spun them faster (never went above 80%) but we didn't have our extractor mounted and didn't even have the rubber feet installed so if it had any sort of balance issues, I had to hold it down.
> 
> *What didn't go quite as expected:*
> 
> Seems like we might need to sort frames by "fullness" if we don't want to use the manual spike roller. This would allow us to adjust the width of the uncapper knives based on thickness of the comb. It doesn't cut well enough if it's then and it crushes if it's thick, but mostly it was just right. You will see in our video that we did a really full one and it ripped open the comb a bit, this was really the only one that was that bad, I just wanted a video of honey oozing. If you look at the pics you will see what the mostly looked like.
> The pusher bar (that moves it along on the rack) pushes it RIGHT underneath the knives so any honey on there is dripping right on the top of the bar. Not a big issue.
> 
> *What went BETTER than expected:*
> 
> 
> VERY little cappings, you will see from the pictures there is almost NO cappings in the catch pan and just a bit that collected under the knife cleaning plates.
> Knives stayed VERY clean, as you will see in the pictures. This is all running 48 frames, not stopping and cleaning anything. We ran it all into a 600 micron bucket filter (mann lake) and we never had to clean it, even after pouring the catch basin into the extractor. Wait, I take that back, we did dump it into a pan at the end just because our buckets were too full to just leave it sitting on top and I didn't want to hold the strainer longer than I had to. If we would have had an extra bucket, I'd have just let it sit and not cleaned it. That said, we will likely pre strain the catch basin with a small hand held strainer, just to catch the few larger bits... we got it, might as well use it kind of thing.
> Very little honey dripping, we never did just load the rack and let it sit, we only uncapped as we loaded the extractor. We did run a frame or two and let it sit while extracting on the first run and it was dripping pretty good, which is probably why we paced ourselves the way we did.
> The little spikey roller, I know that's not related to the uncapper but it might be due to already tearing the cappings with the knives (just not enough) that little guy was working VERY well.
> 
> 
> Just watched this video again, definitely the WORSE of the ones to show cappings and dripping. You will see. Compare that to the (blurry) picture of the uncapped frame below and you will be able to see how little usually showed up.
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwdPJ7c6eSh6NHpscmhtX3MtS0k
> 
> This is just a video for us to show the extractor running but it has an uncapped frame sitting on the rack (this was that first run that we left a couple sitting on the rack).
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwdPJ7c6eSh6RnlLNk0yTHVlemM
> 
> Here is the blurry picture of a pretty nice uncapped frame, I'd say most were more like this, next being a few spots needing the roller and then only a couple ended up like that video.
> View attachment 26056
> 
> 
> Here is the catch basin after all 48 frames, we never skimmed any cappings and only picked out a few bees that made their way in.
> View attachment 26059
> 
> 
> Here are the top of the knives, again ZERO cleaning during the process.
> View attachment 26060
> 
> 
> This is the underside where the few cappings did collect, both sides looked about the same (one would have had the camera shooting right into the light overhead so I only have one side. This is mostly because of those one or two bulging frames that we didn't make adjustments for. With adjustments I don't think they would have been as bad (and they weren't bad either way... probably not worth adjusting for just a couple).
> View attachment 26061
> 
> 
> Again, any other questions fire away and I will attempt to answer them.


----------



## vdotmatrix

*Re: lega uncapper [Review]*

AFTER A FEW RUNS ( 70 frames 2017) on the LEGA UNCAPPER. VERDICT: A Winner!!!

It is a huge time saver. The thing I was most concerned with was the waxed crappings to deal with. There were none. For the most part, I set the blades to a medium width setting and it worked very well.
The bees will produce irregular frames of honey and you can quickly supplement the $1000. design with this $6. tool which is a must have accessory.:

https://www.betterbee.com/uncapping-tools-and-equipment/CASU.asp

WHAT IS MISSINGOCUMENTATION for maintenance, dissassembly, and most importantly, the upgrade kit ( well all 3 are equally important).

They sent me the much touted upgrade kit to address the differences in frames from shallows to deeps after I had to ask them for it. 

I recieved an envelope with a stainless steel bar with a beveled hole in it, 3 washers, 3 screws and 3 nuts. THAT'S IT. No instructions, nothing whatsoever. 

I guess they think that since you were smart enough to lay down $1000 for their uncapper and about $200 for shipping, you are smart enough to "figure out" what to do with their non-descript "upgrade kit". Jamie said they were working on a video 3 WEEKS AGO.

Yeah, I get it..The bar goes in only one place...The important time saving purpose of the upgrade kit is to adjust the uncapper for frame size so: I GUESS I have to back off the allen screws in the green channel in order to slide the screw/nut in to a desired height for the frames i am using. screw head in or out? I just don't like the idea that after laying down $1000. the upgrade kit is DIY.

Enough of my B******G about a silly thing like a product operation manual/documentation. The uncapper is a work of art. It is simple and does the job. 

Besides my dissatisfaction with useful product documentation was the catch tub included with the LEGA, that came from IKEA. 

It is a "SAMLA" tub from IKEA.....I forgot to research whether this was food grade plastic, after all honey is food grade and chemically acidic...and this tub is essentially for storing clothes and junk. I went to the IKEA site and has no mention or pictures of the SAMLA tub holding strawberries or filled with yogurt, so I would be safe to assume these tubs are not FOOD GRADE. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=SAMLA+Box


----------



## hilreal

*Re: lega uncapper [Review]*

Most food grade plastic will have a recycling triangle with a 2 to 5 in it.


----------



## vdotmatrix

*Re: lega uncapper [Review]*

I wrote IKEA and in a separate post somewhere else on this forum I posted their response which is essentially NO, it is not food grade plastic, despite the line I got from the distibutor that plastic in Europe are made to a higher standard: BALDERDASH!!


hilreal said:


> Most food grade plastic will have a recycling triangle with a 2 to 5 in it.


----------



## GoodyFarms

*Re: lega uncapper [Review]*



hilreal said:


> Most food grade plastic will have a recycling triangle with a 2 to 5 in it.


While food grade plastics are made of those with symbols 2 to 5, that does *NOT* mean the inverse is true (that presence of recycling triangle with 2-5 means food grade). Most food grade plastics are HDPE (triangle with a 2) but not all HDPE is food grade.


----------



## erik122

Any thoughts on durability of this unit in a small commercial operation? I extract about 3000 deep supers a season, uncapping only with cappings forks into two 60 frame extractors. Two of us can do about 120 boxes a day (Last of the great hand-uncapping honey houses?!) I know it?s a bit anachronistic and I?ve toyed with bringing in an automated uncapper of some kind but I love the quiet, the lack of cappings and the simplicity. Maybe this machine could speed me up while not complicating the system? 

I wonder how many boxes you could run through the LEGA Roll in an hour assuming you could also keep up loading/unloading the extractors. 
I understand the need to check for missed cappings on shallow comb and possibly longer run times to extract out of the small cuttings on the cells.


----------



## FlowerPlanter

blueskybeesupply said:


> It will hold 10 frames in the rack.
> 
> It can also be mounted (without the legs) to the Lega Combo Extractor/Uncapping Tank and most uncapping bins--which allow even more streamlined and stress-free extracting!
> 
> LEGA 10 FRAME EXTRACTOR & UNCAPPING COMBO


How much do replacement blades cost?


----------



## FlowerPlanter

FlowerPlanter said:


> How much do replacement blades cost?


Replacement blades cost?


----------



## Eduardo Gomes

erik122 said:


> Any thoughts on durability of this unit in a small commercial operation? I extract about 3000 deep supers a season, uncapping only with cappings forks into two 60 frame extractors. Two of us can do about 120 boxes a day (Last of the great hand-uncapping honey houses?!) I know it?s a bit anachronistic and I?ve toyed with bringing in an automated uncapper of some kind but I love the quiet, the lack of cappings and the simplicity. Maybe this machine could speed me up while not complicating the system?
> 
> I wonder how many boxes you could run through the LEGA Roll in an hour assuming you could also keep up loading/unloading the extractors.
> I understand the need to check for missed cappings on shallow comb and possibly longer run times to extract out of the small cuttings on the cells.


I was very interested in this Lega roll uncapper. My situation and questions are similar to that described/put by erik122.

With fat frames (I have 8 frames per super) will not crush the wax instead of punching it?


----------



## blueskybeesupply

There is an adjustable anvil, that spreads the rollers apart to fix their maximum pinch to the desired level. The machine likes fat frames, so you will be fine.


----------



## blueskybeesupply

Replacement blades are around .50 each. There's really no call for them though.


----------

