Looking for a new wood stove....

[Counselor]

It's time for me to consider buying a new wood stove. Here in Texas wood heat is not as much of a priority as it is some places but we have cold enough weather for probably 6 months out of the year where at least some heat/fire is needed or appreciated. My old stove is over 20 years old at this point and was not a very expensive stove when the previous owner had bought it though it has served pretty well all things considered.

I'm looking to spend $2000-2500 or so. I would like a stove to heat about 1200 square feet or a little more- basically a large, open, living area where we spend most of our time when at home. I would also like the stove to have some cook top ability if possible.

I've looked at several different stove review sites and it's very confusing. It seems like EVERY STOVE has at least 1/3 of the people commenting saying it's an absolute piece of junk....Seems hard to pick something....and it's not a small purchase.

Suggestions?

 

[jburner]

Unfortunately the reason for the 1/3 can be attributed to wood not being dry enough or user error. I would pay attention to the reviews where the person who emphasizes both pos and neg and make your purchase one that. So many factors go into the purchase. Price point design, efficiency, type of burn, size. This is a good site for those kinds ofbreal world reviews. Hope that helps without telling you any real answers.

 

[Counselor]

Unfortunately the reason for the 1/3 can be attributed to wood not being dry enough or user error. I would pay attention to the reviews where the person who emphasizes both pos and neg and make your purchase one that. So many factors go into the purchase. Price point design, efficiency, type of burn, size. This is a good site for those kinds ofbreal world reviews. Hope that helps without telling you any real answers.

Yea, that's about what I figured- Half of the people you meet in a given day are of below average intelligence.......So, it makes sense that about 1/3 of people aren't using the product correctly and getting poor results. It still makes it disconcerting when you are thinking of spending a good chunk of money and the reviews of any given product are all over the page.

You don't see that with a lot of products- for example, a Toyota Camry- if someone is having a problem with it, you pretty much know either- 1. They got a real lemon, hey it happens with any man made thing or 2. They are an idiot. But you never see large numbers of people that say, "It's a piece of junk" and large numbers of others that think it's the best thing since sliced bread. The variability is what gets me.......

 

[user 122190]

I bought my stove new 2+ years ago, and it's served me well. It's a Hearthstone, very attractive and gets quite hot. But, it's a soapstone finish that is slow to heat, but stays hot long after the fire is out. That's good and bad. Bad cause it can take hours to warm a cold house, good because if the fire goes out, cause I'm out running an errand the stove is warm while I get a new fire going. Also bad cause cooking is not an option. Although I do/can reheat left overs.

 

[Poindexter]

Considering your budget I would look for 1) a good looking vintage wood fired cook stove or 2) tell us more about your building.

In my neck of the woods factory new wood fired cook stoves run $3000-5000, but maybe less near you.

Is your 1200sf pretty typical for Texas, or a leaky drafty antique or a modern, sealed up, insulated marvel?

One option might be a used late model EPA cert non-cat stove that can burn pretty efficient and get warm enough to cook on top. But they run either hot or very very hot. There is no low setting on those. If you got an older leakier home that might be OK in Texas - in a sealed up modern Alaska marvel I can run 1200sf from 75dF up to 95dF in under an hour, and then wait over night for the house to cool back down to 75dF and run the stove again in the morning. While its 40 below.

I'd encourage you to look real hard at used and factory new wood fired cook stoves. They are still exempt from EPA regs since they aren't considered primary heating devices, and likely to put out plenty of heat unles you got a antique home with lots of air leaks.

 

[Counselor]

The space I'm trying to heat is a living room built onto the rest of the house. When we are home we spent most of our time there- dining, TV watching etc.....It has fair insulation and windows. The current stove which has a fan keeps it quite nice even when we have really cold weather- last year for example we had a solid week of single digits. I lived in Wisconsin growing up and I know that's not all that impressive by "northern standards" but it's plenty cold. We normally have freezing temps in the winter months on a regular basis.

I really don't want a cookstove. I'd like to be able to cook on it if I had to but that's not a primary purpose.

 

[zogger]

Know any masons? You could have a custom russian masonry heater built. They have integrated ovens for cooking.

Any flat top steel or cast iron stove is suitable for cooking on top, at least like make some chili, stuff like that.

jotul, blazeking, kuuma, etc down to relatively cheap englanders from home depot or the like.

Maybe not a mason, but a welder? Have someone fab you up a regular square box stove with one internal baffle?

Of course, I am the last person to know on high end stoves, we have been getting by with my 25 buck yard sale zogger smogger for years now. I like it because it has a normal front load door, or, the whole top lid folds back and you can drop in crotches and uglies and whopper rounds for all night burning. It is oval shaped, cast iron top and bottom with sheet metal sides, I reline it (on the inside) with stove pipe metal every few years. You could cook on it I guess, flat enough on top, just never have. In a pinch, heck ya I would use it. We have an electric stove, if the power goes out, we use the gas grill.

Every one of these looks like you could cook on them

http://jotul.com/us/products/stoves

 

[stihly dan]

Harman has a stove that you can cook on the top or remove a grate and grill over the fire. grease falls right into the stove and burns up. be nice to grill a steak in shorts watching the game when it's 5* outside.

 

[Idahonative]

Counselor, I would look seriously at Blaze King. I just bought a Blaze King (King Ultra) and paid $3000. I did not want/order the fans and my door is all black. I bet the Princess model would be a few hundred less and would easily heat the space you are talking about.

My house is about 1250 sf and the dealer tried very hard to talk me out of the King saying it would "run me out of the house." I have spent the last 15 years using a crappy little stove that had a small firebox and horrible air control. I cussed that stove every year and finally bit the bullet and bought a real one. I wanted a stove that would create the least amount of work for me. Load once a day and forget about it. The King and Princess models both share that beautifully designed damper control. You can turn them way down for a slow, long burn. Or have the capacity to pump some real heat if that's what is called for. I may be proved wrong on this but I believe they are great stoves for small or large homes because of the air control.

I did a massive amount of reading online before making this (for me) large purchase. I took everything into consideration and settled on Blaze King. My main considerations:

- Reputable manufacturer (Blaze King making stoves since 1977)
- Well designed stove made with quality materials. Will last for decades
- Large, deep firebox
- Auto damper that requires no electricity
- Capable of long burns (24 hrs. w/ lodgepole pine)
- Capable of stove top cooking if power lost (I took off the air shield on top for a nice big flat surface)
- Good warranty on the cat (10 year from Blaze King...cats are expensive)
- High efficiency (the King is the most efficient stove on the market...Princess not far behind)
- Simple to operate

There are other high quality stoves out there for sale but for me, all things considered, Blaze King was an easy choice.

 

[cheeves]

It's time for me to consider buying a new wood stove. Here in Texas wood heat is not as much of a priority as it is some places but we have cold enough weather for probably 6 months out of the year where at least some heat/fire is needed or appreciated. My old stove is over 20 years old at this point and was not a very expensive stove when the previous owner had bought it though it has served pretty well all things considered.

I'm looking to spend $2000-2500 or so. I would like a stove to heat about 1200 square feet or a little more- basically a large, open, living area where we spend most of our time when at home. I would also like the stove to have some cook top ability if possible.

I've looked at several different stove review sites and it's very confusing. It seems like EVERY STOVE has at least 1/3 of the people commenting saying it's an absolute piece of junk....Seems hard to pick something....and it's not a small purchase.

Suggestions?

You can't go wrong with the old major brands like Vermont Casting, Jotul, and the Soapstone stoves! Consumer Reports might be a good source!
Me I have an old ( like new) Downdrafter called a Tempwood! Wouldn't own any other stove for burning wood!! Fabulous wood stove! All my old friends have one and some two. Heard they were making them again up in N Adams, MA! Good Luck!!!

 

[brenndatomu]

If you don't absolutely have to have a "proper" cooking surface, Englander makes the NC30 stove. A real work horse of a stove, only $899 at HD and others. People that feed 'em dry wood seem to love 'em! I have heard very good things about their customer service...

 

[Counselor]

Know any masons? You could have a custom russian masonry heater built. They have integrated ovens for cooking.

Any flat top steel or cast iron stove is suitable for cooking on top, at least like make some chili, stuff like that.

jotul, blazeking, kuuma, etc down to relatively cheap englanders from home depot or the like.

Maybe not a mason, but a welder? Have someone fab you up a regular square box stove with one internal baffle?

Of course, I am the last person to know on high end stoves, we have been getting by with my 25 buck yard sale zogger smogger for years now. I like it because it has a normal front load door, or, the whole top lid folds back and you can drop in crotches and uglies and whopper rounds for all night burning. It is oval shaped, cast iron top and bottom with sheet metal sides, I reline it (on the inside) with stove pipe metal every few years. You could cook on it I guess, flat enough on top, just never have. In a pinch, heck ya I would use it. We have an electric stove, if the power goes out, we use the gas grill.

Every one of these looks like you could cook on them

http://jotul.com/us/products/stoves

The problem with "making anything" is that insurance won't likely cover you if there is a problem with it. They are even hinky about wood stoves in general these days......

 

[zogger]

The problem with "making anything" is that insurance won't likely cover you if there is a problem with it. They are even hinky about wood stoves in general these days......

Maybe on a home made welded up wood stove, but a licensed masonry contractor making a masonry stove/heater should fly with insurance. If anything, they are safer than most any other form of heating appliance, this side of passive solar. They can be quite beautiful as well and last for generations.

Were I building a house or investing in an upscale heater, it would be overwhelmingly my first choice.

http://www.mha-net.org/

 

[Gavman]

Counselor, I would look seriously at Blaze King. I just bought a Blaze King (King Ultra) and paid $3000. I did not want/order the fans and my door is all black. I bet the Princess model would be a few hundred less and would easily heat the space you are talking about.

My house is about 1250 sf and the dealer tried very hard to talk me out of the King saying it would "run me out of the house." I have spent the last 15 years using a crappy little stove that had a small firebox and horrible air control. I cussed that stove every year and finally bit the bullet and bought a real one. I wanted a stove that would create the least amount of work for me. Load once a day and forget about it. The King and Princess models both share that beautifully designed damper control. You can turn them way down for a slow, long burn. Or have the capacity to pump some real heat if that's what is called for. I may be proved wrong on this but I believe they are great stoves for small or large homes because of the air control.

I did a massive amount of reading online before making this (for me) large purchase. I took everything into consideration and settled on Blaze King. My main considerations:

- Reputable manufacturer (Blaze King making stoves since 1977)
- Well designed stove made with quality materials. Will last for decades
- Large, deep firebox
- Auto damper that requires no electricity
- Capable of long burns (24 hrs. w/ lodgepole pine)
- Capable of stove top cooking if power lost (I took off the air shield on top for a nice big flat surface)
- Good warranty on the cat (10 year from Blaze King...cats are expensive)
- High efficiency (the King is the most efficient stove on the market...Princess not far behind)
- Simple to operate

There are other high quality stoves out there for sale but for me, all things considered, Blaze King was an easy choice.

I got a princess last year, a great stove that has few faults and none to worry about.
X2 for a blaize king

 

[sunfish]

I bought a Jotul 6-7 years ago. All I'm goin to say is my next stove will be a Jotul!

 

[Whitespider]

Unfortunately the reason for the 1/3 can be attributed to wood not being dry enough or user error.

Or maybe, just maybe... like me... they think the design elements necessary to meet EPA regulations are (in alphabetical order) absurd, counterproductive, deplorable, illogical, irrational, laughable, ludicrous, pathetic, pitiful, preposterous, ridiculous, and unreasonable.
Oh... and did I mention plain flat stupid??
Maybe... just maybe‼
*

 

[Rudedog]

I bought a Jotul 6-7 years ago. All I'm goin to say is my next stove will be a Jotul!

+1

 

[Idahonative]

Or maybe, just maybe... like me... they think the design elements necessary to meet EPA regulations are (in alphabetical order) absurd, counterproductive, deplorable, illogical, irrational, laughable, ludicrous, pathetic, pitiful, preposterous, ridiculous, and unreasonable.
Oh... and did I mention plain flat stupid??
Maybe... just maybe‼
*

I am no fan of the EPA but in the case of Blaze King, I would have to disagree. In fact, I think the design of the King and Princess are just about opposite of what you stated. The fact that they are clean burning, EPA certified stoves is a side note in my opinion. The real reward for us as consumers is a stove that squeezes maybe 25-30% more heat out of the same wood. All the while being simple to operate and A LOT less work for the person who has to keep it running (awesome air control). The fact that it doesn't pollute and makes the EPA happy is, like I said, just a side note.

 

[Whitespider]

Ya' just had to know someone would bite... didn't ya??

The real reward for us as consumers is a stove that squeezes maybe 25-30% more heat out of the same wood.

Ok... so tell me... 25-30% more heat than what?? How did you measure it?? What criteria did you use??
*

 

[Idahonative]

Ya' just had to know someone would bite... didn't ya??



Ok... so tell me... 25-30% more heat than what?? How did you measure it?? What criteria did you use??
*

I might ask you the same question when you use words like: "absurd, counterproductive, deplorable, illogical, irrational, laughable, ludicrous, pathetic, pitiful, preposterous, ridiculous, and unreasonable.
Oh... and did I mention plain flat stupid." You obviously don't know much about Blaze King if you describe their EPA certified stoves in that way. They are a well engineered, high quality piece of equipment. But then again, you have 2,419 likes and I only have 1 so who am I to help someone out by steering them in that direction? Don't like the stoves...no problem. Burn whichever stove makes you happy.