>>2763864"everybody" uses langstroth, because its the one optimized for commercial production and when you start, your beekeeping mentor tells you to get it.
for people that want a few backyard hives and dont care about maximum honey harvest, making your own hives is perfectly reasonable, especially if funds to setup everything is a factor (like the guy that said hes got kids and roof repair to deal with)
you can start beekeeping with a bit of wood, a veil, a smoker and a swarm or split. you can get 2 or 3 hives for under $200 if you're smart about it. starting out with langstroth needs more stuff and is therefore more expensive.
I give you that lifting warré to stack and new box from below can suck, but its not so bad for a few backyard hives and you could do a top bar hive instead if lifting heavy things is a concern.
