Which Stove?? Enviro Empress or QuadraFire Castile?

It is a matter of Looks and Choice
Are they both from the same dealer?
if not choose the dealer that Installs and Service stove
Not a Best buy type dealer that only sells the stoves

The empress Rocks
but I have heard the Harmon does also.

In all honesty their on par with each other. I lean towards the Enviro because I used to sell them but like Hearthtools said go with the dealer (if it's two different dealers) that you like the best. In all reality there are several top brands that are just as good as the next but the dealer can really make or break ones satisfaction with a stove. Especially a pellet stove.

The deciding factor for me and my wife was color. We had the perfect corner for a pellet stove, but it is dark and a black or dark brown stove would have faded into the woodwork so we went with the Empress and we're very happy with it. Personally I like the look of the Castile a little more and if we had a place for a dark brown stove, we probably would have gone with the Castile. If the Quad has a self cleaning burn pot that would be an advantage. Although I've been burning 24/7 since Sunday morning, the stove glass isn't too cloudy and the burn pot liner is pretty clean, but I've been told I should shut it down every 2-3 days and clean the burn pot liner, the burn pot and the glass. Down South here shutting the stove down for a few hours isn't a problem because our tempratures are milder than up north. (We're supposed to get into the 50's tomorrow.) But no matter where you live cleaning the stove probably isn't something you look forward to.

P.S. If you go with the Empress, you can't beat the helpful advice that Rod will provide if you have a question about your stove.

I actually have the same white Empress that Phillip has above, and I love mine too. This is my second winter with my Empress and it heats the majority (all but my bedroom and bathroom) of my 2100 sq ft (drafty, old) farmhouse in Northern, Vermont.

I don't know anything about the Castile, but I find the Empress to be easy to use and maintain and have been really happy with it.

Just my 2¢

I cleaned my Empress today and it was so easy. The burn pot liner and the burn pot just lift out and the heat exchanger rod cleans the tubes with just a few pushes and pulls. I don't have an ash vac yet (I'm getting one for my wife for Christmas!) so I just brushed the ashes that were on the floor of the stove into the slots to the ash pan. The door glass wasn't very dirty so a dry rag cleaned it right up. There are only two changes I would make to the Empress if I could and that would be to put a real handle on the ash pan so I don't have to go get a screwdriver and try to find the slot in the screw to open the latch to the ash pan. I just might get me some JB Weld and glue a knob to the screw. The other change I'd make would be to turn the fake brick liner at the back of the stove so the brick design was running parellel to floor so it would look more realistic. I can't figure why they ran it on a diagonal anyway.

Philip said:

I cleaned my Empress today and it was so easy. The burn pot liner and the burn pot just lift out and the heat exchanger rod cleans the tubes with just a few pushes and pulls. I don't have an ash vac yet (I'm getting one for my wife for Christmas!) so I just brushed the ashes that were on the floor of the stove into the slots to the ash pan. The door glass wasn't very dirty so a dry rag cleaned it right up. There are only two changes I would make to the Empress if I could and that would be to put a real handle on the ash pan so I don't have to go get a screwdriver and try to find the slot in the screw to open the latch to the ash pan. I just might get me some JB Weld and glue a knob to the screw. The other change I'd make would be to turn the fake brick liner at the back of the stove so the brick design was running parellel to floor so it would look more realistic. I can't figure why they ran it on a diagonal anyway.

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Ya that latch was not on the Windsor (the Old version of the empress)
everyone compains about that. I have a Employee that Never latches it and then complains her glass gets dirty.


The brick as a Canadian verison of the Haringbone style. LOL
Damd. Hockey players

Philip said:

I don't have an ash vac yet (I'm getting one for my wife for Christmas!)

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That is priceless!

Merry Christmas honey, now you can vacuum the stove!

Philip said:

I don't have an ash vac yet (I'm getting one for my wife for Christmas!)

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Oy vey. Get a vac that you really love cuz you'll probably be taking it
and the stove with you when she boots your tush to the curb.
:lol:


Sorry for the Ot comment - back to our regular scheduled programming..................

Well, isn't it our duty to save Philip from himself? Giving her that vacuum for Christmas could be as fatal as an exhaust leak or a house fire! lol Don't do it, Philip! Give yourself the vac and buy her something else....preferably NOT a cleaning appliance. :lol:

Looks like Philip is gonna get coal in his stocking this year ;-)

what is the catch?

I pay more than that and I buy 20 a year. and that is before shipping.
Really I just looked I pay more than that.

It might be the Previous version "Windsor"
they have the same body, Smaller hopper, And differnt fan mounting.
but are the old model

confused said:

Just wanted to thank y'all for the input/help. We're going to buy the Empress. We also are getting it for just $1700 brand new --- $1000 less than retail.... seems too good to pass up! Thanks again. -No Longer Confused

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I like the look of the Empress a lot. Send pics to the pic board!

BeGreen said:

I'd take advice from anyone that has a one brand affiliation with a big grain of salt. Harmans are good stoves, but they're not the only good one on the block. The Empress should do you well, congratulations on a good find.

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I have sold a lot of different brands and models over the past 18 year and I would pit any of the current Enviro pellet stove up against any of the stoves made today.
my big think is how HOMEOWNER friendly is the stove to clean and even service.
the only down fall I see in the Eviro line is you sill need a T20 torx to open most of the panels
and you need to remove and find two dirty 5/8 head screws to get the firebrick out to clean the ash behind every ton or so.
not hard for the Handy man but not easy for the average Joe that can barely change a florescent light bulb.

and that you have to open the door on both the Meridain and the Omega to get the t20 screws that hold side panels on.
this makes it hard to get to the GUTS to run test on a running stove.

hearthtools said:

the only down fall I see in the Eviro line is you sill need a T20 torx to open most of the panels
and you need to remove and find two dirty 5/8 head screws to get the firebrick out to clean the ash behind every ton or so.

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I haven't removed the firebrick on this older Whitfield Advantage II..the vaccum attachment pulls what little ash accumulates from the gap below the brick.

mystro said:

hearthtools said:

the only down fall I see in the Eviro line is you sill need a T20 torx to open most of the panels
and you need to remove and find two dirty 5/8 head screws to get the firebrick out to clean the ash behind every ton or so.

Click to expand...

I haven't removed the firebrick on this older Whitfield Advantage II..the vacuum attachment pulls what little ash accumulates from the gap below the brick.

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Remove the Baffle that is BEHIND the brick OLDER ADVANTAGE II and IIT
there are two 5/16 head screws that hold them in, one at the top and one bottom in near the bend.