We've run excluders for about 25 years, using only single deep broods 
for honey production for over a decade now.  Like any tool or aid you 
have to use them properly.
At first we used #5 galvanized mesh.  As long as you had the properly 
made stuff (smooth wire (so as not to tear wings) and straight lines 
(proper hole sizing)) it worked great if not better than.  Only about 
$1. per hive as compared to $8 for a metal bound excluder.  Staff 
weren't always careful cracking though, tore the corners and a queen in 
a single makes her escape. Cleaning was quick, but you can't always see 
any damage.  Screen cost started to sky rocket and quality went down, 
about the same time excluders got cheaper.  We still use them when we go 
over our usual numbers, but we throw a few more out each year.

Some of this has been covered but FWIW we believe:
-Start with a clean excluder.  Bought some from an old guy who thought I 
was nuts for even considering to use them. If you held one to a light, 
it was a poor star show. They were so bad that after we cleaned them, 
the wax recovered paid for the excluders, the time to clean them and 
made us a profit on top.  I've bought wood ones just for the wax in 
them. We boil every excluder at end of every year.
-Full metal only.  If you must use wood bound ones, the shallow side 
down. If you have the ones where the wood binding is even, burn them.
-With singles the excluder and empty honey super go on about the time we 
unwrap at the end of April or mid May unless the colony is weak (5 or 
less frames).  In those cases, if we're busy and not likely to get back 
in time, we'll throw a couple sheets of news print (slashed a couple 
times with the hive tool) on the top of the brood chamber under the 
excluder,then the super.  As they strengthen, they'll eat the paper away 
and move any willow or dandelion honey up.  We've never had an issue 
with a single not moving up when they're ready.
-If we reach mid June with any doubles (we still winter some hives as 
doubles) we reverse the broods and throw on the excluder and a super.
-If you pop the excluder to work the brood, it goes back on the same way 
or a new one.
-Like everything else in this business, not all stocks will respond to 
certain types of management the same way.  When we ran a more populace 
stock, we offset between the first and 2nd honey supers the depth of the 
frame rest.  The stock we have now will propolize that opening, so we no 
longer do it. They all go in and out the bottom.

Dave Tharle
T'N'T Apiaries
Ardmore, Alberta
Canada

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