Glad to see this discussion on bee vacs. I can?t comment on PSI or inches of mercury but I can comment on suction and slamming, exploding bees.
I?m no world class cutout expert but I have done close to 100, I reckon, and I've learned some hard lessons. I also have 3 different vac systems: Owens Bucket Vac, Robo vac, Colorado.
-Use VERY little smoke. The more smoke, the more honey sucked up, the more exploding bees inside the hose - if basic guidelines not followed (below). (Learned this from watching JP.)
- Pay careful attention to suction force. Too many and they bang into each other - exploding bees.
- Use the shortest hose possible - 8 feet max. Long hoses kill bees - guaranteed. Hose clogs with bees, domino effect of exploding bees along with stinging each other.
- Vacuum very few bees at a time. Too many bees at once, colliding bees inside hose and container, exploding bees, stinging each other.
- Have a cushion on the back end of your bucket vac opposite the inlet, to facilitate a soft landing. I use foam inside my Owen?s.