# Buying an Extractor....



## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

The three frame Maxant is a very good extractor. Can start with purchasing manual and have the option of upgrading to electric if you get tired of the hand crank.

It is tangential for deeps and need to reverse frames. I'm a big fan of tangential for hobbiest and including those that use foundationless. With the electric tangential, I can spin 3 frames near bone dry in around three minutes of spinning time. Radial will take 8-10 minutes of spinning time.


----------



## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I really like my Maxant extractor, especially after I fixed my mistake of not buying with a motor to begin with. Maybe you could rent yours out to recoup some of the expense?


----------



## AlanInNJ (May 14, 2018)

Thanks for the replies. Are you talking about the Maxant 6/3 - 3100H model?


----------



## BDT123 (Dec 31, 2016)

That’s what I use, Alan. Like JW I corrected my mistake and added the motor drive this year.


----------



## AlanInNJ (May 14, 2018)

Thanks. I think I will order the manual one and then add the motor in the Spring just to keep the cost down a bit. 

Good idea on renting it out as a way to offset the cost!


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

There is no point in getting an extractor unless it's cheap (like used) or you have a lot of hives.

"A comb honey beekeeper really needs, in addition to his bees and the usual apiary equipment and tools, only one other thing, and that is a pocket knife. The day you go into producing extracted honey, on the other hand, you must begin to think not only of an extractor, which is a costly machine used only a relatively minute part of the year, but also of uncapping equipment, strainers, settling tanks, wax melters, bottle filling equipment, pails and utensils galore and endless things. Besides this you must have a place to store supers of combs, subject to damage by moths and rodents and, given the nature of beeswax, very subject to destruction by fire. And still more: You must begin to think in terms of a whole new building, namely, a honey house, suitably constructed, supplied with power, and equipped....

"All this seems obvious enough, and yet time after time I have seen novice beekeepers, as soon as they had built their apiaries up to a half dozen or so hives, begin to look around for an extractor. It is as if one were to establish a small garden by the kitchen door, and then at once begin looking for a tractor to till it with. Unless then, you have, or plan eventually to have, perhaps fifty or more colonies of bees, you should try to resist looking in bee catalogs at the extractors and other enchanting and tempting tools that are offered and instead look with renewed fondness at your little pocket knife, so symbolic of the simplicity that is the mark of every truly good life."

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm

Comb honey or crush and strain are both alternatives to buying an expensive extractor.


----------



## ifixoldhouses (Feb 27, 2019)

I bought a cheap 2 frame on Ebay, works great, I hooked a drill to it.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Frame-St...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


----------



## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

AlanInNJ said:


> Thanks for the replies. Are you talking about the Maxant 6/3 - 3100H model?


Yes, Maxant calls it 9 frame. Technically one can put in 6 medium frames radial and 3 mediums tangential and call it 9 frame. I have never operated in this mode. Tend to do 3 frames, medium for deeps in tangential position. It extracts fast and comb and wood frame is very clean of honey. There is little worry about drum speed. I do start slow, partially extract one side, flip frames starting slow speed, fully extract other side, and then flip again and spin first side on fast speed.


----------



## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I load mine up with 6 frames radially. The frames are dry by the time I get the next six frames uncapped using my roller uncapper.

MB makes a real good point about the cost effectiveness of even owning an extractor, but the same argument could be made for boats, airplanes, fast cars, and trophy wives. I made the decision to buy a Provap110 and the Maxant extractor when I got to 20 hives. Even still, the extractor only gets used a few times during the year. Kinda like the aforementioned items.


----------



## JUGGERNAUT (Aug 26, 2019)

We recently got a smokin deal on a used extractor 4 frame tangental extractor. Not sure of the brand but it was $150. Stainless to boot. I need to build a stand for it over the winter and possibly modify it for medium frames to go radially. I will document it and post it on here when I'm done. I'm gonna have to get some stainless rod, maybe. We only got it because it was cheap and we don't want to hassle with the bee club to use theirs. Maybe we could have extractor parties. Do a pot luck thing. Wine. Make it fun. So east Nebraska and western Iowa guys keep an eye out for that next year!


----------



## Rlahaise (May 19, 2016)

I bought a cheap ($280. Canadian) eBay 2 frame extractor with a variable speed motor.. I have been extracting from my 5-6 hives for a couple of years and I’m super happy with it.. it is small and the opening for the frames doesn’t have a lot of extra clearance but it has performed flawlessly so far.


----------



## AlanInNJ (May 14, 2018)

Thanks again for all the comments. 

Agreed, the extractor is a bit of a luxury. I know there are some who beekeep to supplement income, and that changes the game considerably. For me this is a hobby which I am really enjoying. High end fishing rods/reels outfits can run upwards of $1000. Golf clubs, shotguns, camping/backpacking gear, etc, etc, are similar. To me it's something that will make the hobby more enjoyable, so I am going to buy one. 

And hey, if it all fails miserably someone on this board might get a great deal on a barely used extractor on craigslist.....from me!


----------



## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

AlanInNJ said:


> To me it's something that will make the hobby more enjoyable, so I am going to buy one.


That's the spirit!


----------



## snapper1d (Apr 8, 2011)

Dont buy manual!!! By the powered one and never have the regret of having purchased a hand crank.Converting to power is really expensive.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I waited until I could afford a 9/18 radial. I've never regretted waiting nor did I regret getting the 9/18... it is as big as I can get through my kitchen door. I would buy motorized. Make sure the motor is variable speed.


----------



## twinoaks (Sep 1, 2018)

JWPalmer said:


> I really like my Maxant extractor, especially after I fixed my mistake of not buying with a motor to begin with. Maybe you could rent yours out to recoup some of the expense?


Hey John, I am thinking of buying one too. Much prefer the radial to tangential. What model did you end up buying?


----------



## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I ended up with the 3100P 9 frame. Of course it started out as an H model. Buying the motor at a later date added an extra $100 plus shipping to the overall cost of the extractor vs buying it with the motor from the get go. So like those of us that been there, done that, buy the motorized version from the beginning and save yourself some money and headaches.


----------



## twinoaks (Sep 1, 2018)

JWPalmer said:


> I ended up with the 3100P 9 frame. Of course it started out as an H model. Buying the motor at a later date added an extra $100 plus shipping to the overall cost of the extractor vs buying it with the motor from the get go. So like those of us that been there, done that, buy the motorized version from the beginning and save yourself some money and headaches.


Thanks for the feedback. That is the one that I am considering too. I started out using 3 three frame manual tangential which I borrowed from the local bee club. That was ok, but involved a lot of sweat and too many frame blowouts for my liking. I currently borrow a friends 6 frame ancient Dadant tangential. I works great, however it is probably time to step out and get my own. Thanks again.


----------



## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

Ok so you are getting an extractor. good decision. the empty comb is a very valuable resource, for splits etc so this is a good way to get some. Now think the process thru the "next" bottle neck is filtering/straining. I got 3 5 gal buckets with the gates and straining screens. appx. each super, you will need to shift buckets as the strainer hold like 4 inches or honey. to start 1 bucket is enough, in time add another. Keep in mind you need a place to store all this stuff for 360 days of the year. Good idea above to rent out the extractor. Or hook up with a bee buddy or 2 and "share" one. each pay 1/3 or the cost and use it on different weeks. Good luck with your new one.
GG


----------



## wood4d (Jun 22, 2015)

I bought the maxant 6/3 motorless and that lasted one extraction. The next year It was sporting a variable speed motor. Have lots of friends around to take turns on the manual spin. I love the extractor but the hand crank is a dog.


----------



## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

A couple seasons back I finally retired my old dinosaur 55 gallon drum home made extractor and bought a Maxant 3100P. For 10 or less hives it's been a perfect fit. A great investment in my opinion, they hold their value very well if I would ever want to sell and upgrade to a higher capacity extractor. I love the machine.

If you need to save up for a while longer, wait and get one that is motorized. While the frames are spinning you can be uncapping the next set and keep moving along. I can't imagine having to stand at the extractor and hand crank the whole time. 

Michael Bush makes some good points about crushing until you build up to the point where an extractor is almost a necessity. The flip side to that, which I ran into, is never having enough drawn empty comb ready in the spring to super the hives when the flow really kicked in. If you have intense short lived early major nectar flows the bees are spending too much time and resources drawing out new comb. If you don't have the storage space to stack up supers over the winter then crushing might make sense. But if you do, then you will want as much drawn comb as possible ready to go in the spring. Just my few thoughts.


----------



## Eaglerock (Jul 8, 2008)

AlanInNJ said:


> Morning. I am in the market for an extractor. I have three colonies now, and I have about 10 frames to harvest now. I am hoping for a decent Spring 2020 flow so I can get a bigger harvest. Ideally I want to run 2 to 4 hives, no more than that.
> 
> I know others have suggested that I can borrow or rent an extractor from someone local or from a local club, but I have not had a lot of success with that, so I am looking into buying my own. I have been watching Craigslist without much luck in my area.
> 
> ...


How big do you plan on getting; will help justify the one you need. If you plan on only having a couple more hives, you don't really need to buy a big one. Too many times people come into our Stores and want to buy one that is really larger than they need. It's their money, but it's my conscience; and I wouldn't feel right letting them buy without me telling them my views. This is somewhat how I put it, "Well I could sell you that, and you can if you want. But, I think it's a little over kill for how many hives you have, unless you intend to keep adding every year." I had a guy that had 2 hives and was going to buy an 18 frame extractor with a motor. I sell a lot of 2 frame, but he wanted a motor so I sold him a 4 frame electric. It was big enough for his 2 hives and then some.


----------



## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

Keep watching right here: https://www.kelleybees.com/2-frame-plastic-honey-extractor.html It is fall, and if they do what they've done for the last couple of years that two frame extractor is going to go on clearance, and you'll find yourself buying two of them to get the free shipping because two is cheaper than one plus shipping. Then you can sell the other and make some other beekeeper's day. Kelley has changed ownership so they might not do the clearance sale, but you have plenty of time to wait for a good deal.


----------



## C. Scott Taylor (Dec 12, 2015)

I guess I'm a bit different.
I use a manual extractor and find it great, except for one factor. I'll get to that.
I can go slow or fast, it's up to me, and it really does not take that long to extract the honey.
Flipping helps me see what is happening, how strong the comb is, and what I might have missed in the uncapping.
I am not familiar with other extractors, which might be 'a dog' to crank, but mine is not hard. I had the gear bracket remade by a machinist mate, who got the gears to mesh better, but that was only needed because mine was cheap to begin with and not perfectly aligned.

So here is another thought: Get either a two or a four frame extractor.
Many times I get full frames that total less than a multiple of three. I have to store them until I get the right number.
It's rare to get only one, and multiples of two are easier to find.
Two, four, or one with a 'balancing blank', works fine.

I can extract half frames as well as full deep frames in mine. I use a slanted 1/2 frame with a plastic hair clip to keep it in place.

I have 6 langstroth hives and two top bar. The top bar are easy to cut, crush and strain...if the comb is young. If it has hardened from having been used as brood, or taken a long time to fill, it is very hard on my arthritic hands to crush. So I have a press for that.
If you intend to crush, be sure your hands are up to it.

Just my $.02.
Hope this adds to your thinking.
Extractors are great, manual is fine. Buy a two frame.


----------



## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

I would stay away from a two frame extractor. Unless frames are nearly equally balanced in weight, shaking and vibration of the whole unit is excessive. It is far better to have a minimum of three frame extractor and more frame is better when it comes to balance.

There is minimal problem with balance if one partially extracts three frames and then replaces one frame. Go slow so that honey is just being slung out.

Buy electric unless that is not in the budget.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Michael Bush makes some good points about crushing until you build up to the point where an extractor is almost a necessity. 

The other thing is you can keep an eye out for a bargin on a used one or even a good sale markdown. I finally bought mine when it was on sale at the time with a significant markdown, but used you can often get them for less than half the new price.


----------



## BeeDuto (Apr 19, 2018)

JWPalmer said:


> I load mine up with 6 frames radially. The frames are dry by the time I get the next six frames uncapped using my roller uncapper.
> 
> MB makes a real good point about the cost effectiveness of even owning an extractor, but the same argument could be made for boats, airplanes, fast cars, and trophy wives. I made the decision to buy a Provap110 and the Maxant extractor when I got to 20 hives. Even still, the extractor only gets used a few times during the year. Kinda like the aforementioned items.


MB does make a good point but what about all that comb you’re destroying every year. Why make the bees draw it out next year when they could be bringing in nectar instead. In the end wouldnt you yield more honey and be able to offset some of the cost of an extractor. Also, crush and strain takes lots of time. Not everyone has that time.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>MB does make a good point but what about all that comb you’re destroying every year. Why make the bees draw it out next year when they could be bringing in nectar instead.

It wiol cost you honey, yes. But you are making the bees do anything they don't naturally do.

> In the end wouldnt you yield more honey and be able to offset some of the cost of an extractor. 

Some yes. But it would take a lot of honey to offset a new extractor.

>Also, crush and strain takes lots of time. Not everyone has that time.

I can crush and strain faster than I can extract.


----------



## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

I have to agree with MB on this as well. I have about 20 hives at any given time. 6 of those hives are top bar hives which have to be done by crush and strain. With the crush and strain, the temperature does not matter. I use 2 five gallon buckets stacked. The top bucket has a bunch of holes drilled to catch most of the wax with a finer filter below to catch smaller particles. I can do one bar in 20 seconds or so. Once the top bucket is full, I move it out of the way and let it drain and filter for a couple of days. There is no rush to finish and buckets are much easier to clean than an extractor. 

I also have a 2 frame extractor I got really cheap a few years ago. I only use it on days over 80 degrees otherwise the honey does not want to flow out of the cells very well. If I had to buy it at full price I would feel totally ripped off. IMO, a full sized extractor would cost way too much and take up way too much space for something I would use 1 day a year. Also on the subject of crush and strain, it is really fun to squish the comb with your fingers!


----------



## cfalls (Nov 26, 2017)

I just did my first extraction with a little Lyson extractor, 2 deep frames at a time, spun tangentially. Ended up with about 12 gallons.

No real complaints on the extractor. Sometimes it shook if I didn't have the frames balanced, but I can't imagine that's different in other extractors. And it squeaked, but no big deal, probably could be solved with a little oil. The basket can be spun freely without causing the hand crank to turn, and the hand crank can be reversed to brake the basket -- both handy features, but could live without them. The bottom is higher in the center than the edges so nearly all the honey drains out without having to tilt the machine.

I haven't tried other extractors so I realize this "review" isn't very useful, but my conclusion is that either the Lyson extractor is a good one, or it just doesn't matter much which one you get. Maybe if you're dealing with 50+ gallons you'd want a bigger electric model, but otherwise I just don't see what problem a different extractor could solve.

I did all the uncapping with a cold uncapping knife. I didn't find the scratching uncapper useful at all -- it just made a mess.

I guess the biggest hassles were uncapping and bottling. The spinning part went pretty quick, even with the small manual extractor.

You definitely need to extract in a garage or something -- the bees will be very interested in what you're doing.

Even at my tiny scale I think crush and strain would've been a disaster -- way more work, and no drawn comb for swarm prevention next spring. Maybe that's practical if you have 5 or fewer gallons to extract, but even at 12 gallons, if you have the money to waste on your hobby, I recommend an extractor.

I definitely recommend the 5 gallon buckets with a spigot on the bottom. Pretty much necessary equipment. Maybe more important than the extractor itself.

If I change anything for next year, it might be to have two 5-gallon buckets instead of one, and maybe I'll use frame spacers in my supers to get more frames drawn to that perfect width for easy uncapping.


----------



## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

Michael Bush said:


> > In the end wouldnt you yield more honey and be able to offset some of the cost of an extractor.
> 
> 
> Some yes. But it would take a lot of honey to offset a new extractor.


Not really. When we bought our extractor, it was the Mann Lake 9/18. After exchange and shippiing cost us just under $1800 cdn. That's about 200lb of honey. Putting drawn supers onto 20 colonies we EASILY make that back in the first round of putting empty drawn supers on the colonies so they can just fill them up and not have to draw new comb.

When we do a day of extracting, typically it's about a thousand pounds of honey by the end of the run, that's getting an average of 50lb over 20 colonies, and we'll have a spring and a fall extraction session most years. I just cant imagine doing that amount of crush and strain, and sure wouldn't want to wreck all the comb in 40 supers, it would decimate our honey yields.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Putting drawn supers onto 20 colonies we EASILY make that back in the first round of putting empty drawn supers on the colonies so they can just fill them up and not have to draw new comb.

Agreed. 20 hives is enough to be worth buying a NEW extractor. Any number of hives is probably worth keeping an eye out for a USED extractor.


----------



## username00101 (Apr 17, 2019)

AlanInNJ said:


> Morning. I am in the market for an extractor. I have three colonies now, and I have about 10 frames to harvest now. I am hoping for a decent Spring 2020 flow so I can get a bigger harvest. Ideally I want to run 2 to 4 hives, no more than that.
> 
> I know others have suggested that I can borrow or rent an extractor from someone local or from a local club, but I have not had a lot of success with that, so I am looking into buying my own. I have been watching Craigslist without much luck in my area.
> 
> ...


I purchased the plastic crank Mann Lake 2 frame extractor. For the price, it did everything I needed... 

At best, it's challenging to clean, and the handle can get loose...fall off - and the metal screws are not well secured to the plastic.

After my first use, I had to go "diving" for the metal nuts because they fell off the handle fasteners and ended up in the honey at the bottom of the extractor.

Can't say I recommend that product. Would gladly spend more $ to get something more reliable.

https://www.mannlakeltd.com/shop-all-categories/extraction-bottling/honey-extraction/extracting-equipment/2-frame-plastic-extractor


----------



## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

cfalls said:


> I just did my first extraction with a little Lyson extractor, 2 deep frames at a time, spun tangentially. Ended up with about 12 gallons.
> 
> No real complaints on the extractor. Sometimes it shook if I didn't have the frames balanced, but I can't imagine that's different in other extractors. And it squeaked, but no big deal, probably could be solved with a little oil. The basket can be spun freely without causing the hand crank to turn, and the hand crank can be reversed to brake the basket -- both handy features, but could live without them. The bottom is higher in the center than the edges so nearly all the honey drains out without having to tilt the machine.
> 
> ...


Hi cfalls, Yes on the 5 gal bucket with Spigot, I have 3 this year, with the 400 mesh screens. As 1 filled the screen I shifted to the next and so on. Also quite fast to fill jars from. I did 25 supers in a couple days. the comb is way nice to start with. I uncap at the wood level and use the scratcher for the concave spots where the cold knife did not reach. for the "squeak" I have used olive oil, as if it happens to get into the honey at least it is editable. The first draw from foundation or foundation-less I put in 10 frames. Once extracted you can use 9 and the comb are fatter to help with extracting.
GG


----------



## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

cfalls said:


> Even at my tiny scale I think crush and strain would've been a disaster -- way more work, and no drawn comb for swarm prevention next spring. Maybe that's practical if you have 5 or fewer gallons to extract, but even at 12 gallons, if you have the money to waste on your hobby, I recommend an extractor.
> 
> I definitely recommend the 5 gallon buckets with a spigot on the bottom. Pretty much necessary equipment. Maybe more important than the extractor itself.
> 
> If I change anything for next year, it might be to have two 5-gallon buckets instead of one, and maybe I'll use frame spacers in my supers to get more frames drawn to that perfect width for easy uncapping.


At my tiny scale I did the PVC bucket extractor this year and happy I did - works great for under $20 spent and one-time labor effort.
If to go after 2-frame extractor, better to just make one from the 5-gallon buckets.
This same device can be also used for C&S, any other food-related projects (e.g. press grapes and berries, storage for bee products like the combs) and itself stores conveniently in the basement corner.





























I also would not discount the C&S.
People routinely melt the old brood comb so to replace it, anyway.
I do too - but only after I load it with the honey first and then do C&S (that's the comb rotation process).
The benefit - very small batch honeys for personal use that you don't get to taste otherwise.
Like so:








My extraction location - kitchen.
Garage is for tools, cars, and a wood-working shop (i.e. dusty and dirty place; not for food handling).


----------



## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

GregV said:


> At my tiny scale I did the PVC bucket extractor this year and happy I did - works great for under $20 spent and one-time labor effort.
> If to go after 2-frame extractor, better to just make one from the 5-gallon buckets.
> This same device can be also used for C&S, any other food-related projects (e.g. press grapes and berries, storage for bee products like the combs) and itself stores conveniently in the basement corner.
> View attachment 51633
> ...


Just to offer some real data, I did cut and strain for 5 or 6 years with 4-6 hives. I was not "aware" of extractors, this was in the 70's Also my dad and grand dad did cut and strain for 40 years prior to that. It is not that "rare". Also supplies beeswax to sell, use, etc. Time or money, one needs to invest one or the other or both. 
Interesting DYI Greg. 
GG


----------



## Kuro (Jun 18, 2015)

username00101 said:


> I purchased the plastic crank Mann Lake 2 frame extractor. For the price, it did everything I needed...
> 
> At best, it's challenging to clean, and the handle can get loose...fall off - and the metal screws are not well secured to the plastic.
> 
> ...


I bought that one on sale and have used it for 4 seasons. The handle can get loose and sometimes gets bent (and I had to bend it back), but it has worked for me. I only keep two ‘production hives’ and extract 2-4 times a year, so usually <20 medium frames at a time. Next year, I might convert it like GregV’s extracter (post#36) .


----------



## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Gray Goose said:


> Just to offer some real data, I did cut and strain for 5 or 6 years with 4-6 hives. I was not "aware" of extractors, this was in the 70's Also my dad and grand dad did cut and strain for 40 years prior to that. It is not that "rare". Also supplies beeswax to sell, use, etc. Time or money, one needs to invest one or the other or both.
> Interesting DYI Greg.
> GG


Yep, GG.
This is the first year I extracted my July honey in the "proper" way.
Been doing C&S - totally fine at my scale and you don't even need to do it at once.
Pull a frame and crash it and it is enough for a while; then pull another frame from storage.

One thing immediately with this batch extraction - I now have several gallons of the "same" honey (even though I tried to separate it into several different batches per the source hives).
But it is largely the same and boring (jar after jar after jar).
I will use some of it to "pay my rent".
Pedestrian honey. 
I don't know how we will use all - boring.

When I cut into the brood frames for some piece-meal C&S - now THAT is fun.
Every little batch turns up different and unique.
It is only 2-3 quarts max at a time.


----------



## cyber (Jan 1, 2016)

Maxant 3100 with motor. Will last forever. You will love it.


----------



## Hogback Honey (Oct 29, 2013)

AlanInNJ said:


> Thanks again for all the comments.
> 
> Agreed, the extractor is a bit of a luxury. I know there are some who beekeep to supplement income, and that changes the game considerably. For me this is a hobby which I am really enjoying. High end fishing rods/reels outfits can run upwards of $1000. Golf clubs, shotguns, camping/backpacking gear, etc, etc, are similar. To me it's something that will make the hobby more enjoyable, so I am going to buy one.
> 
> And hey, if it all fails miserably someone on this board might get a great deal on a barely used extractor on craigslist.....from me!


I agree! Compared to some hobbies, horses for one, purchasing an extractor is pretty inexpensive, making honey extraction much easier. I purchased my 2 frame extractor in my 2nd year of beekeeping, I love it. I've 4 hives, with no intention of expanding.


----------



## Outdoor N8 (Aug 7, 2015)

Alan, there is quite a bit of good advise here....
Personally, I never did C&S, I wanted the drawn comb as a resource to give back to the hive. For my first several years, we just did a 2F hand crank, when we started hitting 500lb at a pull the "labor of love" became an exhaustive marathon... And at that point jumped to a 10F motorized.

If you are going to stay 4 hives, I would look at the 3/6 Frame, many already mentioned. The reason, if you run 9 frames in a 10F box for honey production, it works mathematically. Twelve loads and all the hives are harvested. Just my 2cents...


----------



## AlanInNJ (May 14, 2018)

Yep, great info on this thread. I thought I would share my experience....... 

After much research and re-reading of this thread, I ordered a cheap, 2 frame power extractor online. I figured, for $200, with my limited use, it would be fine. I received it, used it to extract my 12 shallow frames, and the variable speed controlled stopped working before I finished. It got the job done, but full on or full off is a little hairy. I am working on returning that unit. 

Yesterday I placed an order with Maxant for their 4 frame power extractor. If for some crazy reason I outgrow the 4 frame basket I can upgrade to the 9 frame basket. Life is short, I can't take it with me, might as well just do it. And I SHOULD have bought the Maxant from the beginning! Turns out some of you folks know a thing or two!  I will be set for 2020 and onward, and I will loan it out to a couple friends who keep bees. 

The good news? This past weekend I harvested my first 20 pounds of honey. I'll have plenty to share with family and friends which for now is my only goal. It's quite a satisfying feeling!


----------



## username00101 (Apr 17, 2019)

Hogback Honey said:


> I agree! Compared to some hobbies, horses for one, purchasing an extractor is pretty inexpensive, making honey extraction much easier. I purchased my 2 frame extractor in my 2nd year of beekeeping, I love it. I've 4 hives, with no intention of expanding.


The cost of horse keeping makes beekeeping seem like shopping at the Salvation Army.


----------



## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

All of this basically reminds of one thing....

During most all gold rushes, people who made the most money were - the "shovel" sellers and various "service providers".
All the same.


----------



## username00101 (Apr 17, 2019)

GregV said:


> All of this basically reminds of one thing....
> 
> During most all gold rushes, people who made the most money were - the "shovel" sellers and various "service providers".
> All the same.


Don't forget to buy your apivar for $12 per hive, just for a single treatment.


----------



## Jackam (Jun 3, 2013)

JConnolly said:


> Keep watching right here: https://www.kelleybees.com/2-frame-plastic-honey-extractor.html It is fall, and if they do what they've done for the last couple of years that two frame extractor is going to go on clearance, and you'll find yourself buying two of them to get the free shipping because two is cheaper than one plus shipping.


$99 each right now


----------



## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

username00101 said:


> Don't forget to buy your apivar for $12 per hive, just for a single treatment.


Since I don't treat, I don't buy Apivar.

Anyway, it'd be $12x18 hives = $216.
What? 
Just a single treatment?
Forget-about-it.
Not going that way.

I need these money for the various kids' programs (don't even start me on the college cost discussions) - NOT the silly bugs.
My bug program always has been free and it will continue being free.
That is the whole point of it - it must stay FREE and provide us with some return in bee products, in exchange for my time spent.


----------



## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

Jackam said:


> $99 each right now


99 for a 2 frame is not a bad deal. 2 frame should work up to 8 or so hives. then decide to stay there or get more $tuff
GG


----------

