"Not really sure why one ever needs to justify the cost of the equipment you buy."Japey Edge wrote: ↑29 Apr 2020, 17:29I've managed to talk my wife round to the extractor Steve posted. I would love the one Nigel mentioned but I may have to work my way up. It looks like they don't depreciate much so when I finally end up swimming in honey I could sell it and upgrade - hopefully.
Clearly you feel that you do have to justify the equipment you buy - if only to yourself.
The point is; we are all different with different circumstances and budgets to juggle and whilst I accept Nigel's point about parsimonious beekeepers, I certainly do not accept the idea that it's a good investment to buy the best because it will hold its value for resale as has been mentioned - secondhand get secondhand prices. You buy the best because you want it to last and/or be reliable.
May I suggest that you look at this holistically, how many hives are you likely to have by the end of 5 years from now and what other equipment will you need to support that target - and do you have the space to keep it and the income to support the capital outlay. Extra time extracting may be a chore but isn't the priority to have enough hives and spare boxes etc - you can work round one but not the other.
One thing is for sure - a lot of people are going to lose their jobs in the next few weeks and those who do have work are going to have to pay for the privilege of having to stay at home and twiddle their thumbs. I think most businesses will be holding off capital investment for a while and that might be a good indicator for us hobbyists too.....