Non-cat burning with VC Defiant Flex-burn

Blackjack Dan said:

Jotul.com says (F600) a popular option is the leg bracket kit the owner manual only discuss a floor bracket kit is that the same thing?

Looks like I'm going to pull the trigger this week on either a F600 or a Oslo what's the opinions out there as to the longest Burns? Easiest to operate & maintenance issues? In general overall performance?

Leaning toward the F 600 right now I do want good overnight burns but I also live in an area that doesn't have extremely cold temperatures. So my thinking is the amount of splits directly relates to burn times, so is one of these stoves loaded at 50% going to Outperform the other one based on its air control or general design?

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F600 with a bigger firebox = normally a longer burn.

Operation and maintenance = should be about the same regardless of which stove you go with . . . they're brothers to each other.

I have the Oslo and wanted to upgrade to the F600 for a longer burn time but the more I looked into it the less it seemed to make sense mainly because the F600 side load door is smaller and the shape of it's firebox, although a little bigger, is less easy to fully load compared to the F500. The 600 is only 20lbs heavier than the 500 and the EPA tests indicate the F500 is more efficient. I'm not trying to knock the F600 I would probably choose it over the Oslo but there isn't a big difference between the two so pick based on looks and whether you want left or right side load option.

I have the smaller model the Encore 2n1. There are 2 plates that just lift out of the refractory box with great ease (Stove just needs to be cool to do this). The Cat pulls right out. You put the plates back in and the burn as usual. Takes less than 60 seconds to remove the cat. No screws or anything.

I did this for a few weeks last year just to test the different and honestly I didn't notice much of a difference in heat output or stove performance. Which based on the stats they post seem on par with efficiency with and without the cat (they are very similar). The chamber where the catalyst is can combust 2nd gases on its own, but with the catalyst can do it at a lower temperature.

Unfortunately the system especially without a catalyst is often referred to as a Neverburn design. I do believe the refractory design and makeup is quite different then the previous generation of VC stoves however given the tract record on the board it is advised to stay away from VC if you can.

That being said I am happy with my stove and haven't had any real problems with the setup at all. I also have a 25 foot or so chimney that is internal to the house so I have an excellent draft for the stove that is very helpful IMO.

I believe the "neverburn" moniker was only used to describe the series of VC's immediately prior to the current "2-in-1" models.

My defiant 2n1 ( now my brothers ) burns very well without the cat.