Smoker: Stainless Steel -v- Copper

[Spikedog]

A quickie: Why would one opt for a copper smoker over stainless steel? Is it purely a personal preference or are there advantages/disadvantages to one over the other? My own (SS) is about to retire and am looking at replacing.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

A quickie: Why would one opt for a copper smoker over stainless steel? .

More money than sense? because it feels more 'traditional'?
Personally, if I had the money to splash out on a copper one - I wouldn't. I'd just invest in another Dadant smoker (the larger one) keeps going for ages and seems to light even if you just stare at it hard enough

 

[pargyle]

~ keeps going for ages and seems to light even if you just stare at it hard enough

Sounds like 'er indoors ...

 

[Anduril]

More money than sense? because it feels more 'traditional'?
Personally, if I had the money to splash out on a copper one - I wouldn't. I'd just invest in another Dadant smoker (the larger one) keeps going for ages and seems to light even if you just stare at it hard enough

+1 for the large Dadant.

 

[pargyle]

A quickie: Why would one opt for a copper smoker over stainless steel? Is it purely a personal preference or are there advantages/disadvantages to one over the other? My own (SS) is about to retire and am looking at replacing.

Think of the hours you could spend polishing a copper one ... some brass wires on the cage and perhaps a cast silver bee mascot on the lid, polished mahogany end plate on the bellows, suede leather bellows and a marble handle to keep your fingers from getting burnt ..

I know a man who would make it for you .. a snip at about £500 ... Rolls Royce Smokers Limited ...

 

[bingevader]

More use than a chocolate one I suppose!

 

[Tim.S]

Whatever takes your fancy I guess. Waterford crystal anyone? The dadant is the daddy of smokers for sure.

 

[Poly Hive]

I forgot my Dadant one afternoon and the following morning with one puff of the bellows off it went. Fuel? Hessian sacking back when it was available.

PH

 

[madasafish]

Copper is to impress the hoi polloi and show your money outweighs your beekeeping skills..

 

[Popparand]

Copper is to impress the hoi polloi and show your money outweighs your beekeeping skills..

I inherited one with a job lot of bits and pieces when I bought a couple of hives from a chap who had retired from beeking. Lovely copper job and lights well. No money but still outweighs my skills!

 

[deemann1]

Where can you get the large dadent smoker ??

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Where can you get the large dadent smoker ??

Thornes - I think they are the cheapest as well

 

[WoodenBeam]

Of course there’s always the battery operated automatic smoker now available..........a must for all Beeks along with the obligatory box of matches for ventilation

 

[Michael Palmer]

I had a copper smoker once upon a time. Still have it somewhere. Worked okay, but way too heavy. Buy the Dadant

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Of course, in the end, it depends whether you want something that looks nice on the mantlepiece or something that is the business at the apiary.
When you go to the tradex (or more likely the spring convention) you can quickly ascertain which ones will leave clutching a copper trinket or a decent work tool

It's very telling but until Thornes saw the gap in the market lately and starting making the 'normal' smokers but in copper most copper smokers on the market would struggle to hold enough fuel to inspect more than a struggling weak colony

 

[Erichalfbee]

I had a little copper smoker from Thorne when I first started. I thought that’s what you got
It was fine for my two hives
I’m glad I bought it because used and with a little patina it’s a good prop for the honey stall.

 

[Swarm]

You lot should see the cobbled together piece of tat that I call my smoker
The spout is off an old smoker that had an accident, on the body of an old Etna that I never liked and a nice wide, more puffy bellows.
Lights dead easy and goes for hours.

 

[Newbeeneil]

When I started beekeeping I bought all the gear of a deceased keeper. Included in the bits and pieces were two copper smokers, one small and one large. I like the look of them but they don't have a guards so I generally use a large stainless one which doesn't burn my knees
I use the large one at a clients apiary as I leave separate tools at that site so as not to cross contaminate.

 

[Erichalfbee]

You lot should see the cobbled together piece of tat that I call my smoker
The spout is off an old smoker that had an accident, on the body of an old Etna that I never liked and a nice wide, more puffy bellows.
Lights dead easy and goes for hours.

A picture paints a thousand words

 

[Spikedog]

It appears that a marginal preference for stainless steel [Dadant] over Copper exists amongst practitioners. Dadant it will be. Many thanks.