Looking at a Harman Invincible insert

Here is a link to a pdf of the owners manual:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=41QyMSrU9yAN_RP4bWY_qQ&bvm=bv.63587204,d.cWc

I've owned one for about 15 years. Parts are stil available. I order through Home & Hearth in Hampton NH, whom I originally purchased from. In the 15 years, I've replaced the ESP probe, the control board (which if I replaced the ESP probe first, I probably would not have needed....live and learn) and I've replaced the distribution blower. I run it 24/7 October thru April. It's the only source of heat in my home. Pretty bulletproof unit, and will accept and burn any and all pellets, regardless of length or amount of fines.And IMHO It's nice looking as well.

I've had a 1993 Invincible for about 5 years now and love it. I picked it up, non-working, for a steal - $125 - and after replacing the ESP probe it has been relatively trouble free since. This past fall I had a scare when the control board shorted and partially melted, but I was able to send it to a guy in Michigan I found on Ebay. He repaired it for $100. He told me it was a fairly common problem with those boards, but that the components he used were superior to the originals so it shouldn't happen again. Other than that there's not much to go wrong, they're a fairly basic design. I think the blowers can be easily found, should one be needed.

Mine's in the basement, and runs pretty much 24/7, Dec - Mar, except for a weekly cleaning. I run it in Stove Temp mode (no thermostat), on a setting of about 4 and get plenty of heat. A bag of pellets lasts about 26 hours on that setting. And as the previous poster says, it's not fussy about the pellets it burns, unlike a lot of other stoves. It has a great air wash system that keeps the glass clean for weeks.

Other than the lack of a self-ignitor, the only negative with the stove might be the weight. At over 400 lbs its a beast to move, which could be more of an issue with the insert version when it comes to doing an annual cleaning. I know the newer Harman inserts came with rail kits for easily sliding them out of the fireplace, but I'm not sure about the older Invincibles.

I'm not sure if your friend's is the "T" or newer "RS" model (mine is the T). They're very similar, except for the "feed adjustment" mechanism and a few other minor enhancements on the RS. I've attached the manual for the RS. I also have the manual for the T but the file is too big to upload. Let me know if you want it.