Owning your own extractor, even if you have only one hive, lets you rob, extract, and give back the next day. It lets you take advantage of a lucky break in the weather, or in your schedule. I use an old two-frame reversible-cage model, and my wife loves the mess in the kitchen. Being able to give the boxes right back means we don't need as many boxes, and extracting two frames at a time means we can separate the different flavors of honey in an interesting year. jimo