Reversible Electric Honey Extractor 6F LYSON BASIC

01 · 6 BROOD OR 12 SHALLOW FRAMES

And a 900 mm drum to hold them

It takes 6 Dadant brood frames or 12 shallow ones a load. With 735 mm of drum height and 0.6 mm of stainless steel, it is a mid-sized apiary body: enough not to be counting loads, not so much as to need a warehouse.

The cages are stainless steel rod of Ø 2 and Ø 5 mm, and the floor is conical so emptying leaves nothing behind. The valve is stainless, 6/4 inch, the usual calibre of the honey line.

02 · 150 W: WHERE THE SAVING IS

Against the 370 W of the CLASSIC range

The motor is 12 V and 150 W, mounted underneath. The CLASSIC range carries 370 W geared motors, and the difference shows in the acceleration and in how it copes with a badly balanced load.

In its favour: gentle acceleration is exactly what a freshly drawn comb wants, and a simple motor has less to break. Against it: load it evenly and do not expect sharp starts. Running at 12 V, besides, anyone diagnosing a fault has to check first whether voltage reaches the motor, not the motor itself.

03 · THE HE-01V AND ITS ELEVEN MODES

Nine programmes and two manual

The HE-01V digital controller brings nine automatic programmes and two manual modes. It is not programmable as in higher ranges, but eleven options comfortably cover the difference between a runny spring honey and a dense one at the end of the season.

The lid is 4 mm methacrylate, so the extraction is visible, and it carries a safety stop when opened. With a 900 mm drum spinning loaded, that stop is not an accessory.

04 · IT ARRIVES DISASSEMBLED

The legs go on at home

The extractor ships in a cardboard box, disassembled, and the metal legs come in two pieces with an epoxy paint finish. They go together without special tools, but you have to allow for that time and the space to do it.

It is made in Europe by LYSON and comes with a two-year warranty. It is an honest purchase: genuinely reversible, with the electronics and the motor trimmed to the price.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

An entry-range reversible, with its trade-offs stated.