Wood handle Uncapping knife - 21cm

01 · SMOOTH OR SERRATED

Smooth is for light, freshly drawn wax

A smooth edge takes new wax off in one clean pass, without tearing it and without dragging lumps of comb into the tray. That is its strength and also its limit: once the frame has carried several rounds of brood and the cappings are dark and full of cocoons, a smooth edge slides over the top instead of biting. For that wax the right tool is the serrated knife, which exists in the same length. Plenty of beekeepers end up owning both and choosing by the frame they pull out of the super, not by habit.

02 · WHY 21 CM

The length is chosen by the frame, not by taste

This is the question this page gets asked most: why it is recommended for Langstroth and not for Dadant. Because the blade has to work comfortably across the frame you are uncapping, and the range comes in three lengths for exactly that reason:

On a shallow frame 21 cm is more than enough and the blade handles better. On Dadant it comes up short and you end up working awkwardly.

03 · HOW IT IS WORKED

Hot, and two at a time

An uncapping knife is not a razor-sharp kitchen knife: it cuts through the combination of edge and heat, and cold it costs you twice the effort. The classic method is a container of hot water and two knives taking turns — one cutting while the other comes up to temperature. It goes faster, the wax sticks less and the cut is cleaner than forcing it with a cold blade. It is also worth touching the edge up now and then: 420 steel takes an edge well, and this model cuts on both sides, so it works just as comfortably in either direction.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Flat kotibé handle, a hard wood that does not warp with the hot water of the bath. Blade 1.5 mm thick in 420 stainless.