New here - a Lennox question - NEWBIE ALERT

If you h want basic cheap builder's special it will do the job I would be more concerned about its location. how it is built insulated and draft proofed

If that stove is installed in a poorly insulated chase it will not make any difference once that first cold blast hits you It could be the most expensive unit available
and leak cold air like a sieve.. So tell us about the construction of the chase or location it is to be installed Ask the builder how he addresses the opening When I have time later I will tell you what is required.. Biggest complaint is leaking cold drafts usually caused by incorrect building of the opening

hijack attempt!! OK, if Bose is crap whats good?? I'm in the market for a serious home theater system. PM me if ya want!!

lennox bought up severl small companies in 02' when they got in the industry. Unfortunatly they bought crap companies and they quality still shows through. Some lennox fireplaces are nice, but the merit series is junk.
welcome to hearth.com. this place is not nearly the hack job the other forum is. Here you will find what your looking for with plenty of pros and very very well educated consumers to answer your questions.

get what fits the bill.
also look at the quadrafire village series. there affordable and look good.
the QV32a and the QV 36a can be had for $1200-$1500.
www.quadrafire.com

regency and majestic are both fine. You need to go put you hands and eyes on the model you want. The problem is, they all make builder boxes. For $200-$300 more you can have a mid grade that you will use and enjoy. Heatilator and quadrafire are owned by the same company. Quadrafire doenst make a builder box, so that leaves heatilator. The heatilator novus is a builder box, the caliber is a good mid grade, and the caliber NXT is high end. Ther are lots of good fireplaces to chose from, its all in the fit and finish. The merit is not that different then the mendota. They have similar parts. The difference is the realism and the logs. Do you have the option of picking out the fireplace for your builder? Does your builder have to be the one purchasing the fireplace? I would recommed that you go out and buy your own for him to install.
i think the quad QV series is alot of bang for the buck.

Off the stove topic, but a minor comment on Bose - Many years ago, I had a short term job working at Bose as a QA inspector, on the line that was making the high end audio systems that were going into some makes of US cars as something like a $1500 option. I did not last well, as I had difficulty with the idea of signing off on product that supposedly met their standards, but that if I had assembled it, I would not have had the NERVE to send to QA...

I'll admit, most of the work I'd done had been to mil-spec levels, but in any electronics book they have pictures of good and bad soldering technique, and the boards they were sending me could have posed for the "bad" pictures. I saw blobs, uneven component lead lengths, bent parts, etc.... When I expressed my opinion of the overall build quality, I was told not to worry, the boards had passed the autmatic tester, and besides "They only have a 90 day warrantee"

For some reason, I've never been interested in purchasing a Bose product since...

Gooserider

Hi Grinder,

Totaly biased opinion here but you DO want to get heat and you DO want something that looks nice. Otherwise, why bother?

A gas fireplace can be an excellent zone heater which can be cost effective depending on the type of heating system you have in your house. Also handy during power outages.

I agree with the other posters, you need to make an informed decision and the best way to get informed is to see and touch actual units. Go see a hearth retailer or 2 and get a feel for the variety, the options, the features. You may find that you are willing to pay a little more to get something functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Try the websites and see what you like, they all have dealer locators. Regency (http://www.regency-fire.com/), Heat n Glo (http://www.heatnglo.com/), Travis (http://www.travisproducts.com/), just to name a few.

i dont know of any lennox dealers here. You might want to call a local dealer and ask what suggested retail is.
here is a web site that sells them.
http://www.hansenwholesale.com/fireplaces/lennox/mpd3530.html