Ideal Steel and Progress Hybrid

I'm in a similar predicament. I love the Woodstock stoves and I'd like to get in on that sale but I'm trying to heat the whole house as best I can from the first floor of a 3000sf colonial. I've been reading the convective vs radiant stove discussions and I'm thinking we would both be better off with a convective type stove.

Also, I'm not sure the Progress would produce higher output than the IS. The firebox is quite a bit smaller.

I have the Progress Hybrid and love it. It kept our house quite warm over this past winter. I think you have to look at a number of factors in making your decision:

1. Size of area to be heated.
2. The look you want. (The PH looks like a piece of furniture)
3. Overall cost
4. Size of firebox and the burning technology being used (catalytic / hybrid / ability to control air / etc.)

We purchased our stove this past summer before the Ideal Steel was developed. Personally I think I would still make the same decision regarding the PH. We wanted something that looked really nice since it was going to be in the main area of our house and something that would retain heat even after the fire had died out due to our work schedules. My guess is that either choice you make will make you happy and the stove will give you years of satisfaction.

I think that in your case the two will behave so similar that my decision would be based much more on aestetics, design (side or front loading), and price. There are some minor differences in the way they work but in the real world, when you are staring at the stove for the next few decades, they aren't nearly as pronounced as a stove that doesn't fit into your room.