Okanagan DF vs Okanagan Gold

The place I was looking at had different ratings: DF 9,000 btu , .1%; Gold 8,600 and .3%
I've never burned either, was thinking about 2 tons of each

Luv2burnPellets said:

DF is 8774 btu, .1% ash, $365/ton. Gold is 8900 btu, .21 % ash! and $300/ton. Seems like a no brainier to go with the Gold. About the same heat and ash, but $65/ ton less. Am I missing something here, or is there more to consider. Who has burned both and can offer a first hand comparison. I have a Harman P68.

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Have a P68? Why are you looking at high priced pellets? Check out cheaper pellets and do the math to figure out the BTUs/$. You'll find that you will save money with the cheaper pellets.

I am pretty sure I know which dealer you are looking at and one reason why they carry those high end pellets is the stove that the owner has at home and one of the brands of stoves he sells. At least that is my feeling.

Why not buy locally made pellets sold by a small local business. Mwp from Sib! Haha has a nice ring!

Luv2burnPellets said:

DF is 8774 btu, .1% ash, $365/ton. Gold is 8900 btu, .21 % ash! and $300/ton. Seems like a no brainier to go with the Gold. About the same heat and ash, but $65/ ton less. Am I missing something here, or is there more to consider. Who has burned both and can offer a first hand comparison. I have a Harman P68.

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Hmm, around here the DFs are rated at 9200-9400 btu. Its why I get them in for my mid winter pellet. Also we don't have the Golds here so the comparison doesn't matter much. I have to compare with either Platinums or other brands of pellets.

Luv2burnPellets said:

DF is 8774 btu, .1% ash, $365/ton. Gold is 8900 btu, .21 % ash! and $300/ton. Seems like a no brainier to go with the Gold. About the same heat and ash, but $65/ ton less. Am I missing something here, or is there more to consider. Who has burned both and can offer a first hand comparison. I have a Harman P68.

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The DFs are the hottest and cleanest burning pellets you will find. The Golds are a relatively new product that just hit the market near the end of the last heating season, so there isn't much real world burning experience with them. The specs you listed above seem off. The product bags say this:

DF 8700 BTU / .2 ASH
Gold 8300 BTU / .4 ASH

I will post pics later so you can see.

It's been said many times, but the only way to know for sure is to burn them in your own stove and see how they do. Manufacturers are always having their product tested and the test results differ from batch to batch, so websites are always reporting different values. If the money they cost isn't an issue for you, then buying these is a pretty safe bet, Okanagan has a good reputation. Maybe go with a couplet tons of each, or like mepellet said, try some MWPs too - those will cost a bit less and most Harman owners report having good luck with them.

My issue is cleaning, the less I have to do the better! That is why I was very disappointed last year in the Clean Fire Pacifics that I bought. VERY dirty! The CF DF's were much better! That being said a buddy told me that the Okie DF's were like not burning at all! Hardly any ash AND a clean window I almost can't wait for the cold! ALMOST...........

I'd be weary of those numbers. BCpellet pointed out that oakies don't actually ship fiber to new england by rail and bag anymore. it's local fiber of some sort, so the numbers you are seeing are for likely a different product.

The DF wood fiber comes from Oregon, the Gold wood fiber is a southern yellow pine. That much is known. If I understand correctly, bcpellet questions the content of the Okanagan Platinum bags (red/black/clear). Having seen and burned them in small quantities in previous years, and having a ton in my basement now, I have no doubt that they are the same product as prior years. The Platinums have a very distinct smell and are extremely light in color. The only other pellet I've ever seen that even closely resembles them is the North Country pellets. And for the record, no I'm not trying to start a conspiracy theory that Okanagan Platinums and North Country pellets are the same pellets . What I'm suggesting is, despite previously reported issues about rail / shipping issues, Okanagan has managed to continue transporting their good old BC wood fiber product, albeit in smaller quantities, into New England for distribution.

A little birdie told me that the Gold Okanagans are the same as the Okanagan Black Hills from last year, just a new bag. I've burnt all the different Okanagens and this year I'm trying a ton of the Gold(Black Hills?). I burnt the Black Hills last year and there was a very noticeable difference in heat output compared to my DF's. I still have the Platinums, but couldn't get myself to fork out for the DF's this year.

The Okanagan Golds are actually different than the Black Hills Heat. From what I understand, the Black Hills were made from ponderosa pine and came from a plant in South Dakota. Late 2013 / early 2014, they switched suppliers to a southern company that produces pellets from yellow pine. For a brief period of time at the beginning of the year, after the wood pellet supplier switch was made, they still had some Black Hills Heat bags, so those were used up (with the new gold wood pellet product) before switching over to the new yellow/black/clear Okanagan Gold bags you see now. Depending on when you bought the Black Hills Heat, for example in the first few months of this year, it's possible you might have gotten the same product that is now in the Gold bags.

I burned Oaks D/F's last year and loved them..like burning nothing..no ash..burned a whole ton before I needed to dump my ash pan love these pellets..can be had in these parts for 375 ouch!

I ended up going with 3 tons of Okie Golds because they were only $20 more per ton than the FREE New Englanders ($259 per ton) I was getting with the purchase of the stove. They were $289 per ton but I ended up paying $60 for 3 tons so I cant complain. I know they are a new product and I understand they are made down in Georgia by Northern Fur or something like that. The bags I got were black, black with some gold.

I was completely unimpressed with the black hills last season. i wouldn't buy them again unless they matched big box prices, beacause that's how they burned...