Which Honey Extractor - Abelo (Lyson) or Konigin?

[Etton]

Im thinking of getting a 20 frame electric radial extractor. Apart from price which honey extractor from the spec or experience be favoured, Abelo or Konigin or are both pretty much the same?

https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/extractors/electric-20-frame-radial-extractor/

https://www.thorne.co.uk/honey-and-...extractors/konigin-extractors?product_id=8115

 

[Hivemaker.]

Konigin or Lyson, but if I was going for the Lyson one I would go for the better quality premium line...https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/extractors/electric-20-frame-radial-extractor-premium-line/

 

[Beefriendly]

I have the 20 frame Lyson/Abelo one you link to.
It's excellent,.You can also run them on 12v as well as mains.

 

[SDM]

For 10 hives, is the extractor really your bottleneck?
Seems like overkill to me unless you are also planning on automating uncapping. That said, what do i know. Ive been seriously under equipped for the last few years.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Not sure you need commercial equipment mr etton...

 

[Beefriendly]

Think big......
But as SDM says your next bottleneck will be uncapping.
I've sort of solved mine with an Abelo Steam knife, not 100% perfect but as good as it gets; short of an automatic feed uncapping machine.
I don't think I can justify one of those....yet

 

[GuyNir]

As others said, unless you’re about to expand...not sure I understand the point of investing as much. Running the risk of extractor sitting idle for most of the time waiting for frames (being uncapped).

Again, unless this is just one aspect of expanding you’re looking at.

 

[Beefriendly]

Running the risk of extractor sitting idle for most of the time waiting for frames (being uncapped).

GuynIr, the fate of most extractors is to sit idle for most of the year.......
Mine will have been sat idle for nearly 8 months before it is used again.

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

I have a Fritz twenty frame which I found six month old with over two years warranty left for 50% of new price, without this it would have been out of my reach as they are expensive, Having now subsequently had a couple of pieces of equipment from Lyson they can not be faulted for the quality of build and the pricing is competitive and for this year will be having a Melliflow and swing cage spinner from them.
As others have said unless your planning on expanding twenty would be overkill, only reason I will be having two is I had one break last year and had seventy odd supers full of rape sitting trying to keep them warm for three weeks while waiting for a replacement motor, and the brush uncapper will keep more than one twenty busy.

I am sure if you talk to Damien a good deal can be struck and premium line are the best they offer.

 

[GuyNir]

GuynIr, the fate of most extractors is to sit idle for most of the year.......
Mine will have been sat idle for nearly 8 months before it is used again.

Was referring to the honey extraction process. I’m aware extractors aren’t being used year round

 

[nantmoel]

I have a Konigin 8 frame tangential extractor, its brilliant. Load it with 8 super frames start the program and by time you have uncapped 8 frames its ready to be re-loaded with the next eight.

 

[wightbees]

BF... You got link to video of the Abelo Steam knife? Can't seem to find much.. Cheers

 

[Repwoc]

BF... You got link to video of the Abelo Steam knife? Can't seem to find much.. Cheers

Is this it? https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/uncapping-tables/uncapping-steam-knife/

 

[Millet]

Was referring to the honey extraction process. I’m aware extractors aren’t being used year round

Either is Honey extraction being done all year around..

 

[nantmoel]

I also have the Abelo steam uncapping knife with the table, its a joy to use.

 

[wightbees]

Repwoc that's it but was looking for video of it in action.. Think I found something similar on YouTube. Looks good infact. I have been looking at honey paw steam Uncapping but this looks far better.

 

[Etton]

Im thinking of getting a 20 frame electric radial extractor. Apart from price which honey extractor from the spec or experience be favoured, Abelo or Konigin or are both pretty much the same?

https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/extractors/electric-20-frame-radial-extractor/

https://www.thorne.co.uk/honey-and-...extractors/konigin-extractors?product_id=8115

The Konigin extractor spec says 'Automatic start/stop and direction change'. Is the direction change (presume means spin can be changed fron clockwise to ant-clockwise).
Is this a great advantage on a radial extractor compared to those that dont have direction change?

 

[Beefriendly]

BF... You got link to video of the Abelo Steam knife? Can't seem to find much.. Cheers

This is one in action.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2fSvBE6X7k

There are a few tricks....nothing is 100% perfect, but by god it's fast.
If you search Lyson Steam uncapping knife you will find several more vids.
Thye also do a chain driven steam knife....

You do need to use a single super type. Otherwise you have to readjust the setting for for say SN1, vs Sn4. I use all SN4's these days.
It's important it's up to working temperature as it tends to "crush" the cells if if you push the knife over a frame when it's too cold.
As some one else has said it's a joy to use..also cuts back the level of comb on each frame so all start equal again in the supers. Something I find a real plus.
You do need something to drain the honey from the capping as well.
Obviously it won't uncap anything below the bars of the frames but eventually all your frames get drawn above the lips.
Here's a few pictures of before and after from my own. You can see the small area below the frame that was not uncapped on the right .

 

[wightbees]

Thanks BF great info. Does it take much to reset the knife? I do use different frames in supers but I could change this before the season starts I suppose. Also how does it sit above a tray to catch cappings, have you bolts fixing holes in the legs? Many thanks

 

[nantmoel]

Thanks BF great info. Does it take much to reset the knife? I do use different frames in supers but I could change this before the season starts I suppose. Also how does it sit above a tray to catch cappings, have you bolts fixing holes in the legs? Many thanks

By different frames do you mean National & Langstroth? as you do have to buy a specific knife, mine was for national frames. I set the knife to un-cap all the frames down to within 1-2mm of the top bar. You don't waste honey as it falls into the table and then I run it into buckets ready for the settling tank. The advantage of this is all frames are the same thickness so no need to balance them in the extractor.