Bjorn, are you arguing that the newbie should go to the TBH because "this is the way we have always done it" is bad thing or we need more "thinking outside the box". I don't get where you're coming from.
No. My point is that each type of hive has it's own set of problems. Or better yet....different ways of doing things.
So learning to use a boardman feeder or a top feeder in a lang lends no real benefit in regards to application to a TBH. It's like saying you should use wax foundation for a few year before you mess with plastic. Or you should buy only Italians before you mess with carni or Russians.
98% of bee biology is the same regardless of whether you are using a lang or TBH. And the differences that are between a lang and a TBH, are not anything that one could garner from using a lang first, then applying over to a TBH. Each has their own pro and cons.
I have 4 TBH. That accounts to less than 1% of my hives. 99% are langs. I just don't get caught up promoting one or the other for many of the sugestions I have heard. TBH are fun, interesting, unique. So are langs for any beginner. And that is what a hobby should be. 99% of beginners start off with a package, regardless of using a lang or TBH. And the information and assistance available today online, through forums, or even books, makes some idea that more books or information on Langs makes TBH harder, is a stretch.
Are TBH many times over-hyped? Sure. I have been saying that for years. And I even state that many of the claims about TBH, are false and mentioned on my website. The only type hive I do not promote is the Warre hive. No beginner should start with a Warre. And for that, I get weekly hate mail from a few zealots, mostly coming England & Germany. They equate anyone using Langs as money-honey pigs who are crual to their bees for a host of self-rightious reasons.
My point was, there are many things to learn. You need to learn what feeding methods are best, regardless of whether you use a Lang or a TBH. You need to learn to recognize and use good swarm prevention, regardless of using a Lang or a TBH. Just becuase you mastered or learned a year on one, makes no difference when you are faced with a whole new concept in using the other. Learning from one or the other makes no difference to me.