Still cheaper then the BS honey bees one.
Maybe OCFH are running it as a loss-leader for a while, under-cutting the competition to establish a market presence.
The body of the BS, OCFH and Maisemore are almost identical and I reckon they're made in the same factory with mould alterations. I have a dream that one day those three will get together and agree a common design to give complete compatibility: for example, current lid recesses on MM & OCFH are square (not necessairly the same square) and round on the BS, so stacked boxes won't interlock if designs are mixed.
In practice the conversion of a used 6f box to one with 3f x 2 just doesn't work because propolis, wax and debris will have blocked the grooves. Far better to retail a plain 6f box without grooves, and a twinstock made for the purpose but with a permamanent and strong partition. The current flimsy Correx bends easily and is always reluctant to fit into the roof groove.
Not only would compatibility be an asset, but a design produced in greater volume would gain economy of scale manufacturing costs, some of which would trickle down to the buyer.
Great to see some competition in this product space
In principle, yes, but the UK market is tiny and fragmented enough already, and given the rising cost of manufacture we can expect that eventually all three will be up to par on pricing. Commonality of equipment in the field is worth more over the years than saving a fiver here and there at point of sale.
