Honey Extractor COOPER® 3 frame Langstroth

01 · EXTRACTION

Three frames per load, and the start is yours to judge

The cage is tangential: each frame rests its face against the mesh and takes the force head-on, which is what lets you clear thick honeys better than a radial of this size. With three slots, weight distribution matters: load frames of similar weight and, if one is much fuller, set it against the heavier of the other two. And as with any tangential, start slowly: a comb breaks on the first pull, with the honey still full, not once it is half empty.

02 · COMPATIBILITY

Sized for the Langstroth frame

This model's cage is built for the Langstroth frame, three per load, with a slot of 255 × 440 mm. It is a narrower and taller cage than the one in the two-frame models, and that has consequences: Dadant brood frames and Layens will not go in, as both are taller. If your apiary mixes formats, or if you run Dadant or Layens, what you need is a larger drum with a universal cage.

03 · CONSTRUCTION

Bright stainless steel, conical base and a shielded gear

Made in Italy in bright-finish stainless steel, which cleans down in one pass as well as looking the part. The conical base takes all the honey to the 40 mm plastic gate without leaving any in the corners, and the metal gear sits on top, shielded by a plastic housing that keeps it away from the honey and from your hands while you crank. It stands 580 mm tall without legs and weighs 9.5 kg empty.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

At 580 mm tall without legs the gate sits low: plan on a bench, a solid table or a couple of blocks so a bucket fits underneath comfortably. And if you are comparing within the range, the rule is simple: same body and same effort as the two-frame model, one extra frame per turn. The real step up — in capacity and in floor space — is the four-frame, which uses a bigger drum.