Stainless Steel Uncapping Fork Turbopro XL

01 · WHY “INVERTED”

It works by drawing back

A normal comb is pushed into the cappings. This one is used pulling towards you, and the movement changes the result: pushing, the tines tend to ride up and bite too deep; pulling, they rest and follow the comb surface at a constant depth.

It is also less tiring. Pulling uses the arm and the body; pushing uses the wrist — and uncapping is two hundred repetitions in a row.

02 · THE TRIANGLE AND THE DEPTH

What decides how much wax you take

The metal triangle sets how far the tines go in. It is not an accessory: it is the tool's control.

Too deep and you tear out good comb the bees have to rebuild; too shallow and sealed cells are left that will not give up their honey in the extractor. The point is to take the cappings and little else, which is why it is set to suit how the frame is capped.

03 · THIRTEEN CENTIMETRES

How many passes per face

The 13 cm width covers the face of a super frame in one pass. A brood frame takes two, and that is where it shows against a narrow comb.

The steel is food-grade stainless, laser cut: the smooth surface is what stops wax collecting between the tines.

04 · THE WOODEN HANDLE

Comfortable, but it does not go in to soak

Wood grips well and does not go cold in the hand, which is its advantage over plastic in a honey house.

In exchange it asks for one thing: wash the steel and wipe the handle and dry it. Leaving it to soak or putting it in the dishwasher is what opens the wood and blackens it.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

This is the comb: