Cool thanks! Gonna take a trip to The convention in April n pick one up there. Saw an advert for the Swienty one
It's not as simple as that, unfortunately, think inside and outside dimensions. Paynes, Maisemore and BHS are 500mm boxes with the same internal dimensions as a wooden national, while Swienty and Abelo (when it's released) are 460mm boxes, same outside dimensions as the wooden national but with one less frame inside due to thicker, poly walls.
Another thing to consider is bee space, top or bottom. Nationals are bottom bee space hives in general and though the Swienty has frame rails to run the hive as BBS, there is no recess cut into the bottom of the box to allow bee space over the frame end lugs. I ditched the rails altogether and run mine as TBS. Do be aware, if you choose this route, that anything you add, eg super, crownboard, excluder, needs to be top bee space also.
Like Erichalfbee I have wooden, Paynes and Swienty and I use wooden supers, they're cheaper and make my own deep roofs and underfloor entrances (the poly floors and roofs are not much cop)
I much prefer the Swienty, all hive parts are 460mm and fit much more neatly on the Swienty, whereas on the Paynes they just look daft.
Weight wise, you will not find much difference but lifting Paynes boxes is exactly that, a total pain because the hand grips are a terrible design.
CWJ will have Swienty's at the convention.
