BBKA Forum

British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • Looking For An Extractor

  • Please state your location & condition of the item for sale. Contact should be made through private messages.
Please state your location & condition of the item for sale. Contact should be made through private messages.
 #6753  by Japey Edge
 29 Apr 2020, 08:19
Hi everyone,

I'm after a honey extractor. Something ideally sub £150. My original budget was higher but I only have confirmed work going until middle of May. Don't get me wrong I really want to splash out on one but I need to pay the bills.

There are none local enough on Facebook, Gumtree or eBay auction. I have seen a manual 4 frame with a honey gate (plastic so I'd probably replace). That's here - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-Frame-Stainless-Steel-Honey-Extractor-Spinner-Beekeeping-Crank-Handle-Manual/264406013386?hash=item3d8fd395ca:g:NHIAAOSwBPldNV42

I have looked at the main beekeeping suppliers and Simon seems to be the most cost-effective although he's out of stock at the moment.

Can anyone unveil any hidden gem suppliers?
 #6757  by NigelP
 29 Apr 2020, 08:59
Best I can offer is spend as much as you can and go tangential and electric ASAP.....at first extracting honey is exciting and new but it rapidly becomes a chore with many bottlenecks.
Think of each jar 12 oz of honey as £5 in your pocket then this basic one will set you back 100 jars or in real terms about 3 supers of honey.
https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/extractors/electric-6-frame-tangential-extractor-minima-line/
 #6759  by Steve 1972
 29 Apr 2020, 09:43
Jazz I can only echo what Nigel has said..it is exciting and great fun manually extracting your first super of honey..I remember well extracting my first 19 jars of honey and felt very proud..however after hive numbers started to grow and extracting more and more supers it started to become unpleasant and I started dreading the extracting time..last year was the final nail in the coffin for me..I was uncapping and extracting between four to six supers every Saturday which took me hours..that spured me on and that is why I converted my manual extractor to motorized..it is upto you Jazz but if you go manual you will learn the hard way from your own experience.
Have a look at Abelo's credit system on some of there extractors it might make it easier to afford.
 #6761  by Patrick
 29 Apr 2020, 13:46
Agree powered extractors are clearly better but in these tricky times and relatively few frames to extract this year I would still just hire the association one. It’s what they bought it for and not for them to judge whether your harvest merits it.

It spends most of the year unused and I wouldn’t consider a priority. I would personally buy a decent one once later with a fair resale value rather than a poor one now and then a better replacement again later. :)
 #6766  by Steve 1972
 29 Apr 2020, 16:59
Here is the one I have Jazz and I know how to get it motorised relatively cheap.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-8-Frame-Honey-Extractor-Stainless-Steel-Manual-With-Cover-Honey-Outlet-Legs/231716225660?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225081%26meid%3D21112e9dd4b44a819b63a0d84970f9af%26pid%3D100935%26rk%3D7%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dco%26sd%3D264406013386%26itm%3D231716225660%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2332490%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWeb&_trksid=p2332490.c100935.m2460
 #6767  by Japey Edge
 29 Apr 2020, 17:29
Patrick wrote:
29 Apr 2020, 13:46
Agree powered extractors are clearly better but in these tricky times and relatively few frames to extract this year I would still just hire the association one. It’s what they bought it for and not for them to judge whether your harvest merits it.

It spends most of the year unused and I wouldn’t consider a priority. I would personally buy a decent one once later with a fair resale value rather than a poor one now and then a better replacement again later. :)
Weird thing about our association is it's very small and new. It's an offshoot of another association and the extractor belongs to the guy who formed it, rather than the association.
I think I'll just subscribe for the magazine and insurance. I believe I am on my own after that.

I'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.
 #6768  by NigelP
 29 Apr 2020, 17:47
Just keep an eye open.......I ended up with a second hand Abelo 20 frame extractor for £500.
 #6772  by Patrick
 29 Apr 2020, 19:07
Second hand is a good way to go, especially out of season.

Not to meddle in local politics but a gentle hint there is no law about having to be a member of your local geographical division. Several are even members of more than one locally, its not much. Make enquiries, you may be at an organisational dead end. A personal extractor handed out at an individual’s discretion is not a divisional extractor.

It is reasonable to expect support especially when you are starting out - it’s all part of the Charitable Aims we sign up to, in case it slipped someone’s memory..
 #6776  by stechad
 29 Apr 2020, 22:25
Steve 1972 wrote:
29 Apr 2020, 16:59
Here is the one I have Jazz and I know how to get it motorised relatively cheap.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-8-Frame-Honey-Extractor-Stainless-Steel-Manual-With-Cover-Honey-Outlet-Legs/231716225660?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225081%26meid%3D21112e9dd4b44a819b63a0d84970f9af%26pid%3D100935%26rk%3D7%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dco%26sd%3D264406013386%26itm%3D231716225660%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2332490%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWeb&_trksid=p2332490.c100935.m2460
I would be interested to here more about this motorising option