Greetings, I've use a vertical, steam heated, vibrating knife. It's a great improvement over a hand knife. And it can be used on equipment that an automatic uncapper would destroy. Like a hand knife, burr comb can be removed from the edges of the frame, a seperate step with an automatic knife. And a cappings scratcher is seldom needed as the sharp edges of the knife can be use for that purpose. It was standard equipment in the bee operations I've worked in, that produced 100 to 200 barrels per year. They are rugged. And anyone can be trained to safely use them in a few minutes. Regards Dennis :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::