Serrated uncapping knife 24cm JERO

01 · THE TWO EDGES

One serrated, one plain, and when each one earns its keep

This model carries the serration on one edge only; the other is plain and also cuts. The teeth are what deal with old, dark wax, the kind that has spent years in the hive and is full of pupal cocoons: there a plain edge skids and tears, while the teeth bite and keep going. The plain edge leaves a better finish on new, pale wax.

If what you want is teeth on both edges, the one that has them is the 28 cm JERO double-serrated knife, not this one.

02 · THE CRANK AND THE HOT WATER

Why the handle sits high and what to do between frames

There is a crank between blade and handle. It is not decoration: it lifts your hand above the cutting plane, so the knife can rest on the frame's side bars without your knuckles hitting the wood. That is what lets you cut in one long pass instead of in pieces.

Cappings cut far better with a warm blade. The way it is done here: two or three knives in a container of hot water, swapped over as they cool. One detail that matters — shake and dry the blade before each cut. Water dripping off the knife ends up in the honey and raises its moisture.

03 · WHICH BLADE FOR WHICH FRAME

The length is chosen by the depth of the comb

The blade has to span the depth of the comb between the two bars to cut in a single pass. Twenty-four centimetres covers Langstroth and Dadant US brood frames and is more than enough in any shallow super. For deeper combs — Dadant Blatt brood, Layens — the 28 cm knife gives the reach this one lacks.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It is a hand tool and should be treated as one: