Mann lake vs dadant frames

[monrovi]

I need to order additional wood frames and have bought Dadants in the past. They have always been exceptional quality. I was thinking about buying from Mann Lake though because they have the free shipping. How does the quality of their frame compare to Dadant? Thanks

[jim lyon]

Assuming you are talking about unassembled frames I would let price be the determining factor. The quality of both are excellent in the commercial grades that I am familiar with.

[Charlie B]

Mann Lake frames are just as good as Dadant.

[monrovi]

Yes i am talking about unassembled frames. Is the design of components about the same? Same thickness end bars and such?

[jim lyon]

Dimensions should be nearly identical. Only a few subtle differences in style.

[Ledge]

I've noticed no difference in form and function.

[odfrank]

I think the ML's have a wider bottom bar.

[Keith Jarrett]

I need to order additional wood frames and have bought Dadants in the past. They have always been exceptional quality.

Very well said. I have the same veiw, everytime I go somewhere else when I know what works I seem to get burnt. I ordered a semi load of frames this spring I think 22,000, wouldn't change my supplier for nothing dadant been working for me for years.

Free this free that... there's nothing FREE. I want quality, I don't want some flyer every other week saying "new and improved the BEST on the market".

[joshk]

Quality is the same, but the size is a little different. I have Mann Lake medium plastic foundation and dadant medium frames. Foundation is a touch bigger. Not much of a deal I just buzz it off on the table saw.

[westernbeekeeper]

It doesn't matter to me what what folks may say, I will always say that ML's frames are some of the best I have ever come across, and you can't go wrong or get burnt with them.

[red]

The top bar on the [ML] frame is a little thinner. I have less broken end bars with [ML] when i'm done assembling than I have with Dadant because the [ML] parts fit together easier. Also [ ML] uses pondarosa pine and I think Dadant uses white pine but I could be wrong on this. I have less blow outs with [ML] plastic than with Dadant also, [in my deeps only].

[JRG13]

ML Frames are good quality. I did have one issue when i bought foundation, it was about 1/2cm too long and bowed a bit. Perhaps the grooves in the frames were a bit shallow also. Easy fix though, simply trimmed a little bit of the foundation off and fit like a charm. Of course, if I was doing 22,000 of them... and it was a frame issue I'd be upset.

[Keith Jarrett]

I will always say that ML's frames are some of the best I have ever come across, and you can't go wrong or get burnt with them.

Ben, look up some old post here about ML woodenware, I posted pics, I got a thousand boxes with frames the stuff was so bad I got a renburst for the bad product after posting pics and making it a issue. The frames had a staple on the end bar going right down the grove of the top bar which bowed the wax insert. Try taking apart ten thousand frames & with a center pounce tapping the staple back into the wood groove. When I asked Stew about this all he said was a machine puts them together so when one is wrong there ALL wrong.... nice answer.

[DonShackelford]

Having just ordered 600 ML frames, the prior message is concerning.

Keith; Were there issues with the woodenware or just with the assembly process?

[jim lyon]

Keith: I would sure second that ML has had some serious issues with their assembly but I don't have an issue with the quality of the unassembled frames I have seen. I do, however slightly prefer the style of the Dadant/Western frames. Dadant has been extremely good in their delivery prices in LTL shipments direct from Polson. They dropped me off 12 pallets of woodenware for around $300 dollars a year ago.

[Honey-4-All]

We are in the final steps of assembling 8,000 new deep wood frames with both grooved top and bottom bars. Sick of the pre-assembled ones from both outfits being put together very poorly and prone to falling apart under the abuse I and the crew apply to them in hive work.

The new ones..... 5000 from Dadant and the other 3k from ML.

As I am close to both the shipping is not an issue. Dadant was at 66 cents and ML at 69 cents. With the bee bucks at ML my overall cost each way was just about equal +- .


Couple of observations:

ML top bars are thinner than Dadants. A minus but not much as I hardly ever see a frame crack in the center of the top bar. The new deeper groove in the Dadant bottom bar is also prone to collapse when we are stapling them. Lots of blow-ins from the lack of structure and lower quality wood on stapling . The quality of both the wood and the cuts are far superior in the ML frame with this purchase. Not even close. The wood shop guys in Minnesota produce a very nice clean cut with not even a bad piece of wood in the lot. The drop in angle cut design on top of the ML sidebars saves a couple of microseconds a frame also.

If we go back and build more this summer or next fall the folks at ML will have won the first chance at a repeat purchase at this point.

[EastSideBuzz]

I buy Western Bee frames. The Budgets are just fine. Maybe 3 in 100 I have to treat special. I get them on a truck and they are way cheaper then 69c so price them out again.

[Honey-4-All]

I buy Western Bee frames. The Budgets are just fine. Maybe 3 in 100 I have to treat special. I get them on a truck and they are way cheaper then 69c so price them out again.

Paid 66 cents at dadants in Chico. If you add in the gas or shipping doubt the commercials would be much less elsewhere.

As per getting budget frames. Back in 1980 the first 100 frames we ever bought "new" were budgets. After that "experience" I vowed to never make that mistake again. ( been kept if I might add and gladly so) Cheap equipment always costs you more in the long run....ASSEMBLY TIME, LOWER PRODUCT LIFE, LONGER TIME MANIPULATING EQUIPMENT.... Which is another subject sadly enough