Wood stove recommendations/comments.

[Sandhill Crane]

Does anyone have a newer Vermont Casting wood stove with the cat/non cat or Flex Burn technology? They are a beautiful looking stove but a dealer is telling me they have gone through several changes/owners, don't really know (?). Has anyone heard anything about the company in general? I am looking to replace our stove with a medium size stove and wondering what people like and don't like? Thanks...

 

[Icepack]

Get a Blazeking Princess. I just got one this year and love it.

 

[mesupra]

I can't say enough good things about the quadrafire Cumberland gap.

 

[sunfish]

We had a VC for 9 years. It was good when it worked right, but didn't work right often. I'll never do that again.

We got a Jotul 6 years ago and absolutely Love it!!!

...

 

[Poindexter]

I bet this is a lot like picking a chainsaw. Among Husqvarna and Stihl, which one has more service shops closer to you?

Local to me a woodstove either is a BlazeKing or is not a BlazeKing. There may not be a BlazeKing dealer within 500 miles of you.

AFAIK Vermont Casting at least used to be a good name. My dad owned one in New York, but I don't know that I have ever seen a stove with that name on it west of the Mississippi river.

 

[nathon918]

We had a VC for 9 years. It was good when it worked right, but didn't work right often. I'll never do that again.

We got a Jotul 6 years ago and absolutely Love it!!!

...

VC definetly aint what they useto be...
+1 on the Jotul's

 

[Vermonster]

+2 on Jotul

602 CB in the kitchen. Awesome little stove.

 

[boxygen]

I don't know if VC got their **** together or not but I've seen two Vermont castings stoves literally disintegrate until they were not useable or safe. Both from the early 90's. The cast iron just fell apart.

 

[newyorker]

I have a dutchwest xl heats my entire house from basement had it four years its a cat model love it

 

[newyorker]

A dutchwest is a vc if you didn't know

 

[Gavman]

Get a Blazeking Princess. I just got one this year and love it.

Me too, 3 ish months into using ours now and its awesome.

before you commit to buying any stove be sure to research blaze king indepth and then make your decision, there are very very few unhappy owners that I found if any (I honestly dont remember)

 

[flotek]

Why risk it with a company that has terrible reviews and switched hands more times than underwear ..just get a blaze king and do reloads measured in days not hours. . If I had the room I would own a blaze king myself . You'll pay a little more initially ..but the quality and results pay you back every time when it comes to cat wood stoves

 

[Swamp Yankee]

My 2 cents

I won't tell you what to buy, but I've delivered a lot wood over the years. Every year a customer will ask if I know of someone looking for a woodstove as they're replacing theirs. 75% of the time the one they want to get rid of is a Vermont Castings.

One of my oldest customers got rid of her VC a couple years ago because she couldn't get a part, IIRC it was the cat. She replaced it with a Jotul Castine and is very pleased. Says it is much easier to control the burn. She still buys the same amount of wood, but no longer makes any efforts to scrounge.

Me, I heat my house with a Jotul F118. Basic no frills box stove with a 24 inch firebox. Stove is at least 15 years old. I replaced the top plate and cover gaskets a few years ago, but that's it. Productive heat for 6 hours, after 10 hours there's still enough coals to kick it over with just a few small splits.

Other stove brands my customers speak well of include Lopi, Hearthstone, and Morso.

Take Care

 

[dave_376]

I would skip on a VC stove. They once were good but now there are many more desirable stoves I would choose. Jotul and Pacific Energy Aldera line have many beautiful cast iron. Woodstock soap stone stoves are also good looking. Steel stoves tend to look more utilitarian but there are many great stoves, Blaze King, Avalon, Pacific Energy, Quadrafire are all good companies with a solid reputation.. I have an Avalon and have no real negative comments about the stove other than I would prefer to have a larger model.

Having said that if I was shopping for a new medium sized stove it would be an Blaze King Ashford 30!!!! No other stove on market has more appeal than that stove, looks (cast iron) and performance (super long burn times) are top notch.

 

[sunfish]

My 2 cents

I won't tell you what to buy, but I've delivered a lot wood over the years. Every year a customer will ask if I know of someone looking for a woodstove as they're replacing theirs. 75% of the time the one they want to get rid of is a Vermont Castings.

One of my oldest customers got rid of her VC a couple years ago because she couldn't get a part, IIRC it was the cat. She replaced it with a Jotul Castine and is very pleased. Says it is much easier to control the burn. She still buys the same amount of wood, but no longer makes any efforts to scrounge.

Me, I heat my house with a Jotul F118. Basic no frills box stove with a 24 inch firebox. Stove is at least 15 years old. I replaced the top plate and cover gaskets a few years ago, but that's it. Productive heat for 6 hours, after 10 hours there's still enough coals to kick it over with just a few small splits.

Other stove brands my customers speak well of include Lopi, Hearthstone, and Morso.

Take Care

I also have the Jotul F118, Love it. Hell of a stove & a very simple stove to operate. Jotul is by far the best stove out of the 6 stoves we've had since 1980...

 

[GVS]

I don't know if VC got their **** together or not but I've seen two Vermont castings stoves literally disintegrate until they were not useable or safe. Both from the early 90's. The cast iron just fell apart.

I had a V/C defient encore.I was never really happy with the heat output.So one day as I was cleaning the stove I saw what I thought I saw a crack in the fire back.A closer look and my suspicions were confirmed.Finished out the season and removed the stove.Took it apart,grate was warped,stood on it and it broke into 3 pieces. No more V/C for me.

 

[newyorker]

I've heard very good things about morso

 

[milkman]

Some of the stoves that have an ash pan, have a plug that is removed to let you rake ashes from the firebox to the ash pan. What stoves have a grate between the firebox and the ash pan that lets you just empty the pan when it gets full without letting the fire go out to empty? I empty my ash pan every four to five days and don't have to let the fire die when it's bitter cold like it's been this winter.

 

[4cyl2vy]

I had a VC encore 1450 and replaced it with an Osburn 2300. Best decision I made in a long time. The VC was very temperamental and needed constant fine tuning. The whole concept behind the downdraft idea is ridiculous.

The osburn will take a 20 inch log north south straight in through the door and works awesome for me. When I leave this house I am taking my saws and that stove with me.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Thank you all for your input. We have had Vermont Casting since 1992. Five years ago we bought a second one for an out building and instead put the older one out there and the new one in the house. The new one is beautiful, but the interior rear box is deteriorated and needs $900. plus in parts. We have loved the look, the top load. We will be checking out each of your suggestions. Our current stove will be a flower pot stand in the hall way. A sad commentary for such a beautiful enameled stove. Thanks.