Honey extraction is an exciting culmination of a long process for amateur and professional beekeepers alike. The purpose of an extractor is to remove the honey from the comb without damaging the comb. This can be done either manually with a hand crank extractor or with an electric extractor. The choice will depend on the number of hives in the apiary. The VIVO New Electric Four 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor is a highly rated model that has the features beekeepers want in this type of equipment.
The VIVO New Electric Four 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor is a highly rated electric extractor that can handle honey production from a dozen or more hives. This extractor operates quietly, is made of high-quality materials, and can extract from four large or eight medium frames at one time.
The VIVO New Electric Four 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor has a 120V AC motor that runs off standard 110 AC wall power. The motor has a built-in cooling fan and is designed for quiet operation. The extractor can handle four large frames or eight small or medium frames at one time. The two-piece plastic lid is designed to shut off the motor when it’s opened and resume operation when it’s closed. A magnet holds the lid open.
Pricing of honey extractors ranges from around $150 for some hand crank models to over $1000 for a high-volume production machine. The prices of the models we compared range from around $150 to around $410 for honey extractors designed for small to medium-sized beekeeping operations. The purchase decision between the electric or hand crank styles will be based on the volume demands of the beekeeper more than on price itself, since the productivity of the electric models will quickly make up for the relatively modest difference in price.
We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare with the VIVO New Electric Four 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor. Two are hand crank models and one is an electric extractor. These extractors are all available on Amazon.com.
We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare with the VIVO New Electric Four 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor. Two are hand crank models and one is an electric extractor. These extractors are all available on Amazon.com.
VIVO Electric 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor, Honeycomb Drum…
- Easy Extracting – With a 120V AC Motor, extracting honey has never been easier.
- Steel Drum – The stainless steel drum on this 4-frame honey extractor is 23.75″ tall and 18.5″ in diameter, perfect for…
- Frames – This honey extractor fits shallow, medium, and deep frames and also keeps the metal gears enclosed to keep them…
The price of the VIVO New Electric Four 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor is around $370 including shipping. This is less than the other electric machine we reviewed, the Hardin Royal model. It is about twice the price of the two hand crank extractors.
The VIVO New Electric Four 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor has been designed to be an easy to use and every productive piece of equipment. It gets excellent reviews from end users.
Very little assembly is involved with this model and it comes with a manual that details assembly, set up and use.
This extractor has unique features that respond to the interests of the beekeeper. The legs have been lengthened on this model to place the extractor 15.25″ above the floor and allow a 5-gallon bucket to be placed underneath it. This has been a consistent criticism of many extractor models and is especially welcome on a production machine with the capacity of the VIVO New Electric Four 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor. The lid design is an excellent safety feature with the motor shutting off when the lid is raised and resumes running when it is closed.
This honey extractor comes with a limited 1-year Manufacturer’s warranty and the company provides friendly and helpful tech support to back up the warranty.
- Distance from floor is 15.25 inches, high enough to accommodate a five gallon bucket
- The lid operates as on-off switch when opened and closed
- Quiet operation of motor
- Pricier than hand crank and smaller capacity electric models
- May be more machine than needed for a small operation
Little Giant Stainless Steel 2-Frame Extractor Hand-Crank Honey…
- EXTRACT HONEY – This Little Giant 2-frame extractor is used to collect the honey off of your bee hive frames when it is…
- QUALITY CONSTRUCTION – This tangential extractor provides the simplicity of a hand-crank extractor and the superior…
- FRAME COMPATIBLE – This extractor pot is compatible with both deep or medium size hive frames, it can fit two frames at…
The Little Giant Farm & Ag EXT2SS 2-Frame Extractor is a tangential hand crank extractor that can handle two large frames at one time. This extractor is intended for use in a small beekeeping operation of one to several hives. It can both deep and medium frames. It is made of high quality 18/10 stainless steel, has a plexiglass lid and includes honey gate and legs. It comes with directions for assembly and use.
This extractor is priced around $150, making it an affordable starter extractor for the small operation.
It can take up to 10 minutes of hard cranking to start the extraction process. Some users have complained about a lack of instructions but the Amazon website has a link to a .pdf file that gives very clear directions both on assembly and use and the manufacturer indicates that instructions are included, so this may be something they have corrected in response to complaints.
Assembly is simple and directions are clear to understand. This is a basic honey extractor that is capable of handling two frames at one time and has the cranking system to accomplish extraction. Some users have said it takes two people to operate: one to crank and one to hold the extractor down. Others have reported mounting it to a firm base. Warrant information is available upon request from the manufacturer. Typically for manual extractors, the manufacturer takes care of defects apparent upon receipt of the machine. The warranties on the electric models relate to the motors.
- Suitable for a very small beekeeping operation
- Affordable starter machine
- May require two people to operate despite its small size
- Complaints about red paint chipping off the handle
This Goplus 4/8 Extractor is a manual, hand crank model with the capacity to extract honey from four large frames or eight medium frames. It is made of 201 stainless steel and designed for years of use in a small apiary of several hives. The handle has a spring clutch that can crank the gears and not spin once released, and it is comfortable to use. The extractor has a clear plastic lid so you can watch the process and the honey tap makes it easy to pour out the extracted honey.
The price of this extractor is around $200 plus $20 shipping.
This extractor is easy to use and easy to clean. Unless it is bolted down, though, it will take at least two people to operate.
This extractor is easy to assemble. It comes with the necessary hardware and instructions.
This model can handle four large frames or eight medium frames at one time and the handle is designed well and comfortable to use.
There is not a published specific time warranty, but the product comes with the pledge that the company will respond within 24 hours to any issue about a quality problem or missing parts. End users report high satisfaction with the excellent customer service they have received.
- Can handle four large frames or eight medium frames
- Handle designed for efficiency and comfort
- Excellent customer service
- Needs to be held down or bolted to a firm base
The Hardin Royal 2 Electric Two Frame Extractor has a 110V variable speed motor. It can handle two 17″ x 12″ frames at one time. It has stainless steel construction, a plastic lid, and comes with legs to be attached. It is intended for the beekeeper with from one to ten hives.
This extractor is priced at around $410, which makes it the most expensive of the four models we reviewed.
The operation of this extractor is straightforward enough for users have complained about the difficulty in cleaning it, which is an important aspect of maintaining the machine.
This model doesn’t require much assembly since it is an electric machine. The legs need to be attached.
This extractor only has the capacity to extract from two frames at one time.
A machine that has a motor should publish specific warranty information, since continuous functioning of the motor is essential to the operator.
- Stainless steel construction
- An efficient electric motor
- Legs are too short to put a bucket underneath the extractor
- Only has the capacity to extract from two frames at one time
- More expensive than the Vivo electric model
- DIfficult to clean because of the way the motor fits into the extractor
It’s easy to give The VIVO New Electric Four 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor 5 stars on a 5-star rating system. It is the clear winner in this group of honey extractors for several reasons. As an electric model, it offers efficiency that the hand crank models can’t match. Although it is more expensive than the hand crank models, it is close enough in price that it shouldn’t be a major consideration for the beekeeper with a dozen or more hives or for the recreational beekeeper who doesn’t want to exert the effort to turn a hand crank model.
For the smaller operator who plans to grow this model also would make sense. The VIVO New Electric Four 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor compares favorably to the Hardin Royal Electric model in this review. It is slightly lower in price and has twice the capacity. An electric extractor becomes an essential piece of equipment in the larger beekeeping operation. Productivity is an important aspect of that choice, and this model greatly enhances productivity. The ability to extract from more frames at one time gives the Vivo an important advantage over the Hardin Royal model. Both of these electric models have the same size motor.
The Vivo has upgraded the length of legs from earlier versions of the extractor in response to comments from beekeepers who want to be able to put a five-gallon bucket under the extractor to catch the honey.
The two hand crank extractors that we reviewed offer different advantages. The hobbyist beekeeper with one or several hives most likely will prefer a hand crank model. This kind of extractor can be part of the fun of a family beekeeping operation, and the work is made easy by taking turns at the crank. There isn’t a big price difference between the Little Giant and Goplus extractors. The biggest difference is in the capacity with the Little Giant accommodating two frames and the Goplus handling four large or eight medium frames at one time.
A beekeeper with one or a few hives who doesn’t plan to grow into a larger operation might find that the two-frame model meets his or her needs. An electric model would take away some of the hands-on, fun aspect of beekeeping. When the need for more productivity arises, the beekeeper with experience with a hand crank model will do well to upgrade to the VIVO New Electric Four 4 Frame Stainless Steel Honey Extractor.