BeeCastle 22pcs Beekeeping Tools Starter Kit

The Positive: *Excellent value for a package that has all you need to perform hive checks. Priced separately, these items would cost at minimum $117.00, not including tax and shipping charges other sites might charge (yes, I did look up each item & I'm excluding Wish and Alibaba/express because no one wants to wait six weeks plus for shipping when the Girls need your attention now). *Packaging was excellent and I received my order 5 days from the date of being placed. *These are the same items that you could choose when shopping at the larger beekeeping supply houses. *The frame holder that I received is much nicer than the one pictured, the flat bars that slip over the hive top are both long (not one long and one short as pictured) and they are thick, welded well and the entire holder is heavy duty and will last a very long time, if not forever as I can't imagine this thing breaking. The Nit-Picky: *I would prefer to have received a heavier duty bee smoker, but this one will work fine as a backup for me. *There is no option to choose a size for the gloves, an XXlarge size is included. These are a basic, thin glove. I use a thicker glove, size medium, with a sleeve that comes up to the elbow. These will be kept as a backup pair. The Negative: *The frame grip I received is warped and the grips do not line up correctly. I didn't realize this until I tried to use them during a hive check and they punctured through comb/honey and the foundation in four places and ripped up to the bar. It made quite a mess and I wasn't very happy- having foundation ripped at the top of a full, heavy frame isn't the best place for it to happen. I was looking forward to getting a pair of frame grips because my fingers/hands are weakened at times from arthritis and I feel frame grips would make it easier to pull the frames. Since the rest of the package contains items of quality, I'm sure that this is a one-off damage issue. I haven't contacted the seller about this yet, so I can't speak about their customer service at this time. I will update this review after doing so. The Overall: Despite the issue with the frame grips and the trouble it caused, I am still giving this seller and package a 5-star rating. The value overall is very good, literally half the cost for purchasing these items elsewhere individually. The quality of all of the items is very good, particularly the tools, and even the two items I will use as backups are still worthy and will work just fine. This is an excellent package for a beginner who may be a little "shell-shocked" at costs involved in the beginning of beekeeping, and definitely a good package for the experienced beekeeper for replacing items or needing backups. The only thing that could make this package better would be if they included a toolbox. *smile*

It's not bad for cheap tools. they are ruff & needs to be filed to break the edges & take off the burs left behind from stamping them & the ground blades. I haven't light the smoker yet so if it happens to have an issue I'll update my review. The paperwork says something about America but I doubt these are made in America. I guess we could make cheap tools too. The sheet metal they are made from feels like quality steel & will probably hold a edge once sharpened.

Got the things I needed and a few things I didn’t, but it was a good purchase. If you’re just starting up, the hive tools seem to be well made and sturdy. the smoker is really nice and the gloves are too. The knives were good. Also, everything that I need. I’m happy with from the uncapping tools to the gloves. A good starter kit….

Great for beginner bee keepers! Who need somewhere to start with supplies.

As a beginner, I didn't know what all I'd need. My mentor is impressed with the usefulness of the various items. So far, there are only a few items I haven't used yet.

A lot of good tools for a great price. I bought it as backup for when I lose or wear out what I have

Everything was exactly as pictured ... looking forward to using the tools this spring

Great gear