I'm gonna give this a bump because I'd like to know.
BTW, what kind of hearth do you have?
The heater is doing great. I burn a small hot fire at around 500 degrees and my house holds the heat well. My heater sits directly on my polished concrete floors and I have no hearth so I just sweep up the floor. The floor around the stove gets nice and warm and is the favorite place for the dog to nap.