Jotul F500 Oslo v. Hearthstone Manchester. Advice?

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Elessar the Heater

New Member
Sep 28, 2015
5
Conway, NH
Hi everyone,

I'm in the market for a new stove (my first, actually) and the wife and me have narrowed it down to the Jotul F500 v. a Hearthstone Manchester.

Quick background: I need to heat a 1500 sq. ft. drafty old house during the northern New Hampshire winter (North Conway area), and the stove would be our prime heat source. Cat's are out because too much of a hassle, and I have kids, grandparents etc who will occasionally load the stove without me watching over their shoulders. So I need a "one-lever stove" that cannot be broken by amateurs.

I've read the forum, reviews etc, and I'm still stuck between these two.

Basically, I like the soapstone liner in the Manchester (longer heat!) and the somewhat longer burn times. but some bad reviews on this site have me scared me a little. Hearthstone does not seem to have a very good customer service, to say the least, so if I get a badly built model (and this does seem to happen), I'm screwed.

The Jotul F500 seems more simple and solid (I like that), and a great reputation, but no soapstone liner and shorter burn times. Also, cheaper :). Burn time has me worried. The last thing I want is to go to bed at 10pm with a full stove and wake up at 6:30 in a stone cold house with not enough coals to restart the fire. I don't want to rebuild a fire every morning in between getting the kids ready for school :-(

So I'm stuck. Should I get the Manchester and risk ending up in customer service hell, or get the Jotul and risk the too short burn times?

Any help would be appreciated!!
 
The Manchester is newish and had some door design flaws when it hit the market. These have been addressed. It is a good strong heater, but it would be wise to choose a dealer with a good track record of customer support if concerned. The venerable Oslo is a time proven workhorse. It is also available in blue-black enamel which is one of the nicest stove finishes out there IMO.
 
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Personally, I found Hearthstone support to be excellent. The only time I had a problem was in the middle of their busiest season, then it took awhile to get a return call. Otherwise, they were very thorough on helping me with my questions and problems related to installation.

As I have posted a number of times, go for the soapstone if you are burning 24/7. It does keep the heat a long time but on the other end, it takes 30 to 40 min to get hot. If you are just an occasional burner, stay away from soapstone.
 
Our T6 is similarly slower to warm up, but the cast iron mass acts as a flywheel to even out temp swings. It's 10-15 minutes longer to throw off heat than the Castine but I haven't found this to be a big deal, even for shoulder season burning.
 
Elessar the Heater said:
Jotul F500 v. a Hearthstone Manchester
Click to expand...

The Manchester has a bigger firebox which will give you more heat and longer burn times. The equivalent Jotuls would be the F600 and the F55. The F55 is also newer but has received very favorable reviews here while the F600 is a proven workhorse. The F55 is a steel stove with a cast-iron shell and therefore more of a convective stove. The F600 (as the F500) is more radiant. Would frontloading versus sideloading matter in your case?
Elessar the Heater said:
I like the soapstone liner in the Manchester (longer heat!)
Click to expand...

Not sure if people do not overestimate that effect. The thermal capacity between ceramic firebrick and soapstone is pretty similar. Thus, I would be surprised if you will notice much (if any) difference.
Elessar the Heater said:
The last thing I want is to go to bed at 10pm with a full stove and wake up at 6:30 in a stone cold house with not enough coals to restart the fire. I don't want to rebuild a fire every morning in between getting the kids ready for school :-(
Click to expand...

Now, that sounds like a cat stove (e.g. BlazeKing Ashford 30, Woodstock Progress Hybrid or Ideal Steel) would be just the ticket. With those you can turn down the air more for extended burn times and more even heat output. Btw. Woodstock is in Lebanon if you want to buy local.
 
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DougA said:
As I have posted a number of times, go for the soapstone if you are burning 24/7. It does keep the heat a long time but on the other end, it takes 30 to 40 min to get hot. If you are just an occasional burner, stay away from soapstone.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I would agree, but the wife has decided soapstone is ugly. And that was the end of that (as anyone who has been married knows :) ). Cast iron it shall be.
 
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Grisu said:
Would frontloading versus sideloading matter in your case?
Click to expand...
Thanks! Sideloading seems easier and safer, especially with kids. But willing to change my mind on this :)

Grisu said:
Not sure if people do not overestimate that effect. The thermal capacity between ceramic firebrick and soapstone is pretty similar. Thus, I would be surprised if you will notice much (if any) difference.
Click to expand...
OK, good to know. That pushes me away from the Hearthstone.

Grisu said:
Now, that sounds like a cat stove.
Click to expand...
I know, but I'm worried a cat will be broken by an inexperienced user who forgets the bypass. Also, seems like a hassle, I read the woodstock manual, and i really don't feel like cleaning the cat every 4-6 weeks, and clean the metal sheet with holes that protects the cat, etc. I have no doubt they're great stoves, just not for me, I need a one-lever stove that cannot go wrong and needs mainenance once a year, at the cost of some efficiency.
 
Elessar the Heater said:
Sideloading seems easier and safer, especially with kids.
Click to expand...

Just wanted to make sure you have the space on the side. I would say it is between the F600 and the Manchester then as the F55 is exclusively frontloading. The F500 may a bit small for your home and desire for long burn times.
 
Hi Elessar- Agree with all that the Firelight is comparable with Manchester heatwise, but in your area, the bigger stoves are probably the better call. I'd second BG's suggestion of a blue black enamel, the Firelight in this color is gorgeous,,,,, The Oslo is a wonderful heater, to me its as nice a stove as there is, do you mind the F600's double doors or does it need to be a single door? All these stoves mentioned are great heaters. I know from dealing with Hearthstone and Jotul on a regular basis, they both have good support, but I'd give Jotul the nod in that area too. I'm biased a bit towards Jotuls, they are simple go-to-work everyday stoves.
 
The F500 is a great stove. ALso looks matter because wood stoves are a piece of furniture 6 months of the year. I am able to heat my 3000SQFT new home well.

Good Luck!
 
Great, thanks for all the answers! It will to some extend also depend on the local dealer too.

The F600 seems a bit like a beast, though. It's *huge*. I'm only heating 1500 sq. ft., not the St. Peter's Basilica. You really think I need that big a stove?
 
I think the F500 is perfectly sized for your home from the info you have provided . . . but I am not sure the stove would consistently be able to go 8 1/2 hours. I tend to reload my stove around 9:30 p.m. and wake up around 5 a.m. to find enough coals to throw some kindling on and get the fire going again. Sometimes I have lots of coals . . . other times not so much . . . a lot depends on the wood, where my air setting was set at, etc. Insulation and other factors may determine how well the house holds the heat -- most days I beat the oil boiler from coming on (we set the thermostats at 60 degrees F), but when it's wicked cold sometimes hearing that oil boiler fire up is the impetus for me to get out of bed a bit earlier.
 
Our F600 heats a 1700 sq. ft. Farmhouse in western PA that is a bit drafty, (120 yrs. old) but has had foam insulation injected into the walls, and the Windows changed out at various points in its life. Our main heat loss comes from the un insulated floors that sit over the crawl space that is below half of the place, a situation I plan on correcting shortly. Anyway, when we were looking at stoves, my wife and I wanted an Oslo in the worst way, but thanks to the good folks here, went with the F600. Couldn't be happier with the heat or the "furniture" quality of the piece, even though she swore she'd never forgive me for denying her the Oslo that she claimed was prettier. That lasted until the first morning that we came downstairs to a bed of good coals that were holding the stove top at 250 after 8 hours of sleep. She and the kids were standing around that thing like it was the last hope. Can't beat that.
 
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Elessar the Heater said:
Hi everyone,

I'm in the market for a new stove (my first, actually) and the wife and me have narrowed it down to the Jotul F500 v. a Hearthstone Manchester.

Quick background: I need to heat a 1500 sq. ft. drafty old house during the northern New Hampshire winter (North Conway area), and the stove would be our prime heat source. Cat's are out because too much of a hassle, and I have kids, grandparents etc who will occasionally load the stove without me watching over their shoulders.
Click to expand...
If you want long burn times and minimum hassle, then you want a cat stove, not either of these. When you get 30 hour burn times per load, there's not much need for kids or grandparents to ever touch the thing.
 
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Maintenance of a cat isnt bad, i only have experience with the woodstock PH. That iconel screen you referred to was discontinued and is no longer in the stoves. I did chrck my cat once a month or so, but only needed to clean it at the end of the season( even then it really didn't need a cleaning) On the PH it takes me literally less than 5 minutes to open the stove, remove the cat, inspect and vacuum clean, reinstall.

I too would recommend looking more into a cat stove. If your worried about someone "breaking" it then get a ss cat. They are much more robust in regards to thermal shock.
 
My Oslo heats an 1,800 sq ft raised ranch very effectively. I load around 9 - 9:30 every night and reload before work at 5:45 which still has a nice bed of coals for easy relight. If I could have fit the F600 in my fireplace opening, I would have gotten it.
 
jotul? said:
Our F600 heats a 1700 sq. ft. Farmhouse in western PA that is a bit drafty, (120 yrs. old) but has had foam insulation injected into the walls, and the Windows changed out at various points in its life. Our main heat loss comes from the un insulated floors that sit over the crawl space that is below half of the place, a situation I plan on correcting shortly. Anyway, when we were looking at stoves, my wife and I wanted an Oslo in the worst way, but thanks to the good folks here, went with the F600. Couldn't be happier with the heat or the "furniture" quality of the piece, even though she swore she'd never forgive me for denying her the Oslo that she claimed was prettier. That lasted until the first morning that we came downstairs to a bed of good coals that were holding the stove top at 250 after 8 hours of sleep. She and the kids were standing around that thing like it was the last hope. Can't beat that.
Click to expand...
From NH, raised 3 kids now living in N NJ and Manhatten, this time of year, they want pics of the Jotul fired up and recall fondly growing up with the heat it displaced. When they come home, they gravitate to the stove. Driving up the driveway, they look towards the chimney (smoke) and can't wait to get out of the car after their 5 hour drive to smell the wood. Precious.
 
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Elessar the Heater said:
need a "one-lever stove" that cannot be broken by amateurs.
Click to expand...
Don't let an amateur operate any stove. With a tube stove, they can easily get too much wood gassing and send the stove top temp soaring, possibly warping parts. :oops:
 
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I second Woody Stove's comment. I have an F600 upstairs and a Woodstock Classic (cat stove ) on the lower level of our home. The Woodstock is definitely simpler to operate and requires less attention. The F600 is in the living room upstairs and is thus easy to monitor and make primary air adjustments. I can't imagine turning someone loose to operate either stove unless I knew they were knowledgeable about how the stove operates and responsible enough to keep a close eye on things until the final air adjustment can be be made and verified that all is well.
 
Elessar, You said 1500 sqft with some drafts right?? Main source of heat is the stove?? In your area, don't think the F600 is too much. There's not a lot of difference in the Oslo and Firelight heatwise over a day's time, I'd decide on which side is more convenient for me to load from. The Firelight will hold 1-2 more pieces of wood, so the relatively same btu/hr output won't be much different, but it might be an hour or so longer with the Firelight. All the stoves you mentioned are prime choices.
 
Elessar the Heater said:
Hi everyone,

I'm in the market for a new stove (my first, actually) and the wife and me have narrowed it down to the Jotul F500 v. a Hearthstone Manchester.

Quick background: I need to heat a 1500 sq. ft. drafty old house during the northern New Hampshire winter (North Conway area), and the stove would be our prime heat source. Cat's are out because too much of a hassle, and I have kids, grandparents etc who will occasionally load the stove without me watching over their shoulders. So I need a "one-lever stove" that cannot be broken by amateurs.

I've read the forum, reviews etc, and I'm still stuck between these two.

Basically, I like the soapstone liner in the Manchester (longer heat!) and the somewhat longer burn times. but some bad reviews on this site have me scared me a little. Hearthstone does not seem to have a very good customer service, to say the least, so if I get a badly built model (and this does seem to happen), I'm screwed.

The Jotul F500 seems more simple and solid (I like that), and a great reputation, but no soapstone liner and shorter burn times. Also, cheaper :). Burn time has me worried. The last thing I want is to go to bed at 10pm with a full stove and wake up at 6:30 in a stone cold house with not enough coals to restart the fire. I don't want to rebuild a fire every morning in between getting the kids ready for school :-(

So I'm stuck. Should I get the Manchester and risk ending up in customer service hell, or get the Jotul and risk the too short burn times?

Any help would be appreciated!!
Click to expand...
I bought a Manchester stove 3 years ago. It looks great and heats well, but.......now I have some problems. First, the front door handle broke, screw sheared off. Side door warped, another screw snapped when I took it off. Several stones have broken. Replacement part prices are very expensive. It is difficult to clean. The ash pan is pretty much useless. Despite what they say about the glass staying clear, it doesn't. Is does clean up easy but if you like the nice picture of the stove with a fire burning inside that you can see, put that on the wall, because after you burn a few loads of wood the glass will be all sooted up (although not as bad as other stoves). I only joined this forum to say to anyone looking at this stove - buy something else! Sorry if you already bought one. I am considering getting a new stove and hoping some sucker will take this one off my hands for a good price.....any questions?
 
Coming here to dis a product based on a single experience is not all that helpful. All sound like warranty issues. Has the dealer been informed? Response?
 
begreen said:
Coming here to dis a product based on a single experience is not all that helpful. All sound like warranty issues. Has the dealer been informed? Response?
Click to expand...

How exactly is his personal experience not helpful? I think the complete opposite.. Warranty issues or not, they are still problems the owner has encountered. Discrediting someone because they don't contribute to this forum is wrong.
 
Which ever stove you choose, if you have a good supply of really dry kindling it takes very little coals to restart it in the morning. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes or more for my Napoleon 1400 to start flaming again in the morning, but I've learned after just one season that it is really quite dependable. At first I would sit and watch it until it flamed up again, but stoves seem to be able to sense that they are being watched and in cases like this perform better when just left alone. :) When you do a final load at night just make sure you have a good, hot coal bed and load the biggest pieces of the best wood you have, and load it full. Then shut the air all the way down and you should be fine in the morning.
 
claydogg84 said:
How exactly is his personal experience not helpful? I think the complete opposite.. Warranty issues or not, they are still problems the owner has encountered. Discrediting someone because they don't contribute to this forum is wrong.
Click to expand...
Not discrediting the report, but for a first post I find it less than helpful. It may be the two other postings of stoves being run wide open that has me wondering. Sometimes it's not the stove that is to blame for user issues. Hard to say with little info. The Manchester got some manufacturing revisions to correct early reported problems. That's why it would help to know more about this issue and how the dealer has dealt with it.
 
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