Trying a New Pellet

rcook430 · Oct 12, 2015

I have only used 1 brand of pellet, Country Boy White Lightning. Decent heat, little ash, no residue on the stove, no clinkers. My holes in my burn ot are never clogged. For some reason I want to try a different pellet just because I have never burnt anything else. I can vet Hamer Hot Ones for same price and I am thinking about buying some. One ton is my only option. My wife thinks I'm crazy. Has anyone else done this or am I crazy to change from a good thing.

NYBurner · Oct 12, 2015

Hamers have a fairly good reputation, so I think you should be fine. I like experimenting and trying different pellets....if they run dirty or less hot then I dont buy them again. I know its a bit frustrating too , but we are all essentially 'burning cash' anyways. While it may not be ideal you'll still be getting some heat so it is not a complete waste, and you get to try something new. I say give them a try.. (PS Ive never even heard of your current pellet so i dont know if that is a super premium softwood??)

MtDew · Oct 12, 2015

rcook430 said:
I have only used 1 brand of pellet, Country Boy White Lightning. Decent heat, little ash, no residue on the stove, no clinkers. My holes in my burn ot are never clogged. For some reason I want to try a different pellet just because I have never burnt anything else. I can vet Hamer Hot Ones for same price and I am thinking about buying some. One ton is my only option. My wife thinks I'm crazy. Has anyone else done this or am I crazy to change from a good thing.

I burned 3-4 ton of Hamer Hot Ones Last year. Very good pellet! I would stick with the Country Boy's, think they are slightly better than the Hamers.

The Ds · Oct 12, 2015

The general consensus is to get a couple of bags to try first because all stoves burn different pellet brands differently.......that being said , if you can only take a ton - its your call....We have burned country boys in the past and like them , green letter lignetics seem to burn best in our stove.... you are in KY. - can you not get Somersets down there ? many like them

TimfromMA · Oct 12, 2015

You should have seen the look my wife gave me when I piled 6 tons in the basement.

Arti · Oct 12, 2015

I try a few others but always go back to the White Lightnings, Good consistent pellets and burn well in 3 of my stoves lots of heat low ash.

rcook430 · Oct 12, 2015

Havent seen Somersets anywhere local. Country Boys are sold where I bought the stove. I just lucked into a very good pellet right off the bat. The hamers I am buying is 3 miles away and I took a drive Sunday just to see where it is and the the old lumberyard that used to be there had a sign that said C.L. Hamer. I knew the address of Hamer Hot Ones read Kenova W.V. but I didn't know that their main office was there since I've read the mill is in Elkins W.V. which is 3 hours away.

Wilbur Feral · Oct 12, 2015

So, I have used Hamer's for 6 years, think them the best pellet I've ever burned, and have 6 tons ready for winter right now. That said, given your experience and the fact that you save nothing, you are the poster child for "If it ain't broke, try harder to do so" if you buy more than a few bags to start. Listen to your wife on this...

Jack Morrissey · Oct 12, 2015

It's always good to try a few bags 1st..

rcook430 · Oct 13, 2015

Just bought the ton of Hamers directly from Hamer corporate headquarters in Kenova W.V. We talked for about 45 minutes. I could probably tell you guys anything about the pellet industry and Hamer Hot Ones history. Was really interesting.

unbidden · Oct 13, 2015

rcook430 said:
I have only used 1 brand of pellet, Country Boy White Lightning. Decent heat, little ash, no residue on the stove, no clinkers. My holes in my burn ot are never clogged. For some reason I want to try a different pellet just because I have never burnt anything else. I can vet Hamer Hot Ones for same price and I am thinking about buying some. One ton is my only option. My wife thinks I'm crazy. Has anyone else done this or am I crazy to change from a good thing.

If you're quarterback throws for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns would you replace him?

billb3 · Oct 13, 2015

If he fits down the auger tube, yes

Lake Girl · Oct 13, 2015

If you find the Hamers are not up to par with the Country Boys, you can always reserve them for shoulder seasons or mix them with the Country Boys so you obtain the some of the better qualities of the Country Boys.

Mixing hardwood Trebios with my Spruce Pointes just to get them out of the inventory ... shoulder season so best temps are not as critical. ==c

rcook430 · Oct 13, 2015

The guy I spoke with at Hamer said Country Boys are out of business, something about a fire at the plant and they are not starting back up. He seemed like an upfront guy.

johnnh · Oct 13, 2015

unbidden said:
If you're quarterback throws for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns would you replace him?

Throwing for 4000 yards and 30 touchdowns is nothing today the way these clowns play tag rush. It's an average season.

NYBurner · Oct 13, 2015

Its funny to see the different points of view/justifications that we all have!
I see you decided to give them a try and I hope they do well for you. Worst case you run one feed rate higher and empty the ash pan one time more a week.....not a big deal in reality.

Peterfield · Oct 13, 2015

rcook430 said:
The guy I spoke with at Hamer said Country Boys are out of business, something about a fire at the plant and they are not starting back up. He seemed like an upfront guy.

Damn, those have been great pellets.

tiger · Oct 13, 2015

rcook430 said:
I have only used 1 brand of pellet, Country Boy White Lightning.

Who, exactly, is in charge of naming pellet brands? :confused:

rcook430 · Oct 13, 2015

tiger said:
Who, exactly, is in charge of naming pellet brands?

I think they are made in Kentucky so the name is justified.

Lake Girl · Oct 14, 2015

rcook430 said:
Country Boys are out of business, something about a fire at the plant

Tried searching for this but no reports on the internet on a fire at the flooring or pellet plant... Fall cleaning in progress so moving this thread to the appropriate section

Peterfield · Oct 14, 2015

rcook430 said:
The guy I spoke with at Hamer said Country Boys are out of business, something about a fire at the plant and they are not starting back up. He seemed like an upfront guy.

Yeah, and Elvis is still alive. ;lol

Company's web site is up and Facebook account reflects business as usual.

rcook430 · Oct 21, 2015

If anyone is interested, I have burned about 4 bags of the Hamers and although a great pellet, I honestly can tell no difference than the Country Boy White Lightning. Both are great pellets but honestly if you didn't tell me which one was in an unmarked bag I wouldn't be able to tell one from the other.

rcook430 · Nov 23, 2015

So finally I found some Somersets, since I live in Kentucky and they are made in Kentucky. I bought 2 bags. I bought a ton of Hamer Hot ones and they are decent but more ash than I'm used to. The Somersets are very light brown in color and produce great heat and very little ash. My favorive pellet so far.... but I've only tried three.

rcook430 · Dec 4, 2015

Bought a ton of Somersets today. $218 I thought that was a steal. Bought 2 bags earlier and just an awesome pellet. Did a very deep clean of stove after burning 1/2 of a ton of Hamers and I dont think I will be buying anymore Hamers. When I was burning them I noticed alot of heavy dark ash. I had to empy my ashes after 1/4 of a ton due to it was almost full. And boy was the stove filthy. Alot more than I was used to with the Country Boys. The 2 bags of Somersets left no ashes in the burn pot with no scraping needed.I think I found my favorite pellet.

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