We had an Austroflamm insert for almost 15 years (almost totally silent and built like a tank) and just last year got an Enviro. Would still have the Austro, but it needed $1200 worth of parts (provided we could even find them).
We did all the same sort of research we did before, and liked the Enviro best. Some of the stoves must have a wired, proprietary, expensive thermostat. That kind of thing doesn’t work for us - our fireplace sticks out into the room by three feet. There’s an outlet right there for our TV, so the power cord for the stove can be routed in a way that is mostly invisible. Thermostat wires would have to go all over everywhere, though.
We looked at one with the self-cleaning burnpot thing, and to me, it’s just something else to go wrong. And then I asked the guy if it was truly self-cleaning. “Well, no. You still have to periodically scrape down the sides of the burn pot.” Then I asked if it could come out so you could be sure of doing a good job of it, and the answer was that it was replaceable, but wasn’t meant to be periodically removed.
Simpler is better. Heavy construction: even better. So that’s why we settled on the Enviro.
Best advice: see what works best for you. Watch them start. We discounted one (the self-cleaning burn pot one) after we saw smoke puff into the room as it was starting. Look past the sales pitches, some salesmen will run down others’ stoves just to get a sale of theirs. Sad, but sometimes it happens.
Also: get a good surge suppressor to protect the stove.
Hope this helps.
