The Cheapest Electric Extractor on the Market! A Review of the Vevor 4 Frame Electric Extractor| How to Assemble & Wash |

I put off buying an electric extractor for a long time! They're big, and they're SO expensive. The cheapest electric extractor I could find online was $700, and it was currently out of stock, and did not ship to Hawaii.

Then, Vevor contacted me asking if I would be interested in reviewing their electric 4 frame extractor. The extractor was free, but I had to review it and post my review within 2 weeks of receiving it. Umm, yeah!

About 5 days later, my husband came home with a box that came up to my hips and asked, "Do I want to know what's in this box?" 

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Use link https://s.vevor.com/bfQu3E and coupon code VV2324 for 5% off Vevor's 4 frame electric extractor!

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Timestamps

00:54 - My honey harvesting experience with commercial apiaries
03:19 - How to Assemble this 4 frame extractor
08:55 - How to wash an extractor
10:27 - How to Use an electric extractor
15:51 - Spinning a frame without foundation
19:12 - My overall review of the Vevor 4 Frame Electric extractor 

The Vevor 4 Frame Electric Extractor Specs

The Vevor 4 frame electric extractor is currently for sale on their website for $284.99 (as of Sept. 13th, 2023). Use link https://s.vevor.com/bfQu3E and coupon code VV2324 for 5% off. (I do not receive a commission. This review is purely my opinion.)

Some specs about this extractor:

• Ships to the U.S., including Hawaii.
• Can spin 2, 3 or 4 frames at a time (does not have the option to spin 8 shallow frames like the 4/8 extractor)
• Barrel is .6mm thick.
• Auto stop on lid
• Legs included
• Honey gate included
• Adjustable legs (2 heights, lowest is 36" tall, second height is 40.5" tall)
• Holes on bottom of legs to mount to a piece of wood
• Spins shallow, medium or deep frames
• Adjustable speed (0-100)
• Stainless steel
• Rust proof
• Inner basket is 26cm, barrel height is 24", barrel diameter is 20"

My Overall Review of this Extractor

Pros

This extractor does exactly what it's supposed to do – it extracts honey from a frame of honeycomb. It is very quiet and has an adjustable speed. The adjustable speed can help extend the life of your motor because you can run it at a lower speed and start slow as well as slow down before stopping. It also allowed me to spin frames without foundation or wire with no problem. The comb was intact and the honey was removed!

Cons

What I really did not like about this extractor is that it was difficult to wash. You have to take the motor off before you wash your extractor – before you use it as well as after you're done using it. The plate that the motor is mounted to is not difficult to take off, but it is difficult to put back on. It was a two person operation getting it back together. If only the holes were a little bit bigger! I've taken the top plate on my hand crank extractor on and off many times and it was always a quick and easy thing to do. I never thought twice about it until I tried to do it with this extractor and had to call my husband over to help me out. It was about 10 minutes before we got it back on.

Another con is that it is by a company that does not make replacement parts. Other companies that make extractors often sell a replacement motor, ball bearing and legs. Vevor does not. 

This extractor is also made by a non-English speaking company. I read a couple of reviews where people said they ordered one type of extractor and got another. When they contacted customer support, they didn't help them. The instructions that came with the manual were not very helpful. They do not explain how to wash or put back together the extractor nor do they mention how to use the extractor or that it needs food grade lubricant on the ball bearing after you wash it.

My extractor arrived with the motor almost falling off of the metal plate it was screwed on to. The screws were not screwed on as tight as they should have been. There were also 4 screws attaching the motor to the plate but 5 holes for screws, making me think that there should be 5 screws keeping this motor attached. 

How to Assemble the Vevor Electric Extractor

It's fairly easy to put together. It takes just a few minutes to attach the legs using a 14mm wrench. The lid panels do not require any tools, but it is helpful to have a screwdriver on hand. The gate screws on in just a minute like any honey bucket gate would.

Who This Extractor IS For

• Hobby beekeepers with 5-25 hives
• People who have a hand crank extractor but don't want to crank their honey anymore or cannot use a hand crank anymore 
• People who need to harvest over 4 boxes of honey but don't want to invest a lot of money in an electric extractor

Who This Extractor Is NOT For

• Hobby beekeepers with less than 4 hives
• People who haven't started beekeeping yet but want their equipment ready in advance
• People in their first year of beekeeping
• People looking to invest in an extractor to last them a long time
• People with over 25 hives

How to Wash an Electric Extractor

Step 1 - Remove the motor

For this extractor, you have to unscrew the nuts from either end of the metal plate that the motor is attached to. Do not remove the motor from the metal plate. The plastic lid on either side can remain attached to the metal plate as well.

Step 2 - Remove the metal basket from inside the extractor

Very Important! There is a ball bearing at the bottom of the metal basket. It may stick to the bottom of the basket when pulling it out, or it might stay in the hole in the bottom of the inside of the extractor. Keep an eye on this and do not lose it.

Pick the metal basket up and take out of the extractor. Be careful not to lose the ball bearing underneath the basket.

Step 3 - Wash

Wash the inside of the extractor, gate and metal basket. Leave for 24 hours to dry or dry thoroughly with a towel.

Step 4 - Lubricant to Ball Bearing

Put a small amount of food grade lubricant on the bottom of the stick of the metal basket and put back inside the extractor. Make sure the ball bearing is in the center hole first before putting the basket in.

Step 5 - Reattach Metal Plate with Motor and Lid

Reattach the metal plate that has the motor on it back onto the extractor. 

Now your extractor is ready for harvesting!

How to Harvest Honey Using an Electric Extractor

The best way to learn how to harvest your honeycomb using an electric extractor is to watch me do it. Click on the video below for my demonstration. The video starts right at the extraction section - no need to search for the extraction part!

Harvesting Honeycomb without Foundation In an Electric Extractor

I do not use foundation on most of my frames – brood and honey, so I decided to try out a frame of honey without foundation in this extractor. I did it last just in case it fell out of the frame and made a big mess. To my surprise, the frame spun without a problem and no comb was broken. I spun 4 frames of foundationless honeycomb int this extractor, and they all made it through unbroken. I believe it helped, quite a bit, that the extractor had variable speeds, so I could start off slow. However, even tested at top speed (100) the comb did not break.