Newbie question - Is the Regency i2400 worth $600 more than the Pacific Energy medium Pacific?

First off I have to say What a great forum! I stumbled upon it by accident the other day when researching inserts, and was pleasantly surprised to find so much information about burning wood. I have been a memeber of other forums(Jeep, F150) for years, but never thought to check for a Hearth forum. It is a pretty focussed subject and is great to have so much experience and knowledge available.

Now on to the real reason I am posting. I know opinion questions are like asking what is your favorite candy bar, but when I plan to buy something I usually research it until I could practically be an engineer for each manufacturer. I've narrowed my insert selection down to the Regency i2400 or the Pacific Energy meduim Pacific model. The best I can do in this area is $2600 for the Regency and $2000 for the Pacific. Is the Regency worth the extra $600?

It seems the prices this year are substaintially higher than last year on most models. I did massive research last year and it got too late in the year to buy so I thought I would wait until this year. But now I think I should have taken last years deals when I had the chance. I have all my quotes from last year and the only quote that is still the same is the Pacific Energy. I know Regency has an early bird $250 rebate and Pacific has a $150 rebate through the end of this month. But am I looking too early? is there a trend to go up or down as fall approaches?

Thanks.

Sorry didn't give enough info. I am located in Central WI. Both unit prices are for the insert with Gold door, Gold trim ring, and blower(I can't believe this is an option on the Regency). This price DOES NOT include the liner or installation. I called 6 different Regency dealers and got the i2400 down to $2516-$250 rebate=$2,266. The equally equipped Pacific is $2185-$150 rebate=$2035. This is the best I can do in this area but I still feel the prices are high, compared to what some others have paid in different parts of the country. I would mail order one but with the cost of shipping it usually brings the price right back up to a local dealer. I don't want to buy too early and miss a sale later in the season but also don't want to watch the rebates go by and miss out either.

It basically comes down to features and looks. I like the Regency a bit better and now got the difference down to about $250, but is it even worth that? The one thing I do like about the Pacific over the Regency is the removable baffle for cleaning purposes.

With some haggling and dozens of phone calls got the Regency 2400 insert to within $50 of the PE. They both seemed like excellent units and it was a difficult decision. Thanks for all the advice. It should be here in a week. At least this year I didn't wait until it was below zero to start shopping.