Jotul F3 vs Jotul F400 Castine

Always go bigger. You won't be sorry!!

I have a Castine in my finished basement, about 1000 square feet. I am glad I did not go any smaller. I would go with the bigger stove especially in colder climates. Jotul gives square footage guide lines. In the end it also depends on how good your windows are and how much insulation you have in the house.

I was going back and forth between those two at first too. In the end the castine won. The bigger fire box is nice for longer burns and I didn't like the air controls on the F3 very much.

This is the exact same decision I had to face in the 2005-06 season. The dealer pushed the F3 and I opted for the Castine and hands down I believe I made the right choice with my intentions.

That decision is an easy one especially if you plan to 24/7 your stove. The F3 really doesn't have a firebox large enough for an overnight burn and it is marginal for the Castine. I actually think in your case an Oslo might even be the stove to consider especially if you have average or worse insulation and/or a long shift at work.

With that being said to me the F3 seems to be designed more of an enjoyment/weekender stove where you buy custom sized wood to fit in that tiny opening. If you intend to process your own wood especially without the aid of a mechanical splitter the F3 will be almost twice as much overall work to process it and you have to get up and fill the firebox 1.5 times more often.

JBinKC said:

This is the exact same decision I had to face in the 2005-06 season. The dealer pushed the F3 and I opted for the Castine and hands down I believe I made the right choice with my intentions.

That decision is an easy one especially if you plan to 24/7 your stove. The F3 really doesn't have a firebox large enough for an overnight burn and it is marginal for the Castine. I actually think in your case an Oslo might even be the stove to consider especially if you have average or worse insulation and/or a long shift at work.

With that being said to me the F3 seems to be designed more of an enjoyment/weekender stove where you buy custom sized wood to fit in that tiny opening. If you intend to process your own wood especially without the aid of a mechanical splitter the F3 will be almost twice as much overall work to process it and you have to get up and fill the firebox 1.5 times more often.

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This is where you lose me. The F3 will put out the heat. And you are way off regarding custom sized wood. It takes 16-18" just fine and I don't process my wood into 'slats' (which some people thing you have to do with the F3).

Yes, the F3 is not a 24/7 stove. It also is more than an 'enjoyment stove'. My winter heating bill dropped by 60% using the stove on evenings/weekends (more if I were to calculate what it would cost to keep the house at 74-76 on Nat. Gas.

BG's opinions carries some weight as he has burned one. Your opinions are extrapolations since you never burned and F3.

It is my opinion that the F3 is not the ideal 24/7 stove for a New York burner with 1200 sq ft where the mean temperature is around 15 degrees and lows can go to -20 Fahrenheit. I never did say it wouldn't produce heat and I am sure the F3 is easier to operate in terms of drafting than a Castine but the small firebox will force you to fill it more often and in really cold weather you may get into an overcoaling condition (for those who burn quality hardwood) much faster and honestly that is not a very pleasant condition to be in.

I can put 8" diameter and oddball shaped pieces in the Castine without any ill effects of burning which means I don't have to process the firewood to smaller dimensions. If you don't have the luxury of a mechanical splitter those things tend to matter.

JBinKC said:

It is my opinion that the F3 is not the ideal 24/7 stove for a New York burner with 1200 sq ft where the mean temperature is around 15 degrees and lows can go to -20 Fahrenheit. I never did say it wouldn't produce heat and I am sure the F3 is easier to operate in terms of drafting than a Castine but the small firebox will force you to fill it more often and in really cold weather you may get into an overcoaling condition (for those who burn quality hardwood) much faster and honestly that is not a very pleasant condition to be in.

I can put 8" diameter and oddball shaped pieces in the Castine without any ill effects of burning which means I don't have to process the firewood to smaller dimensions. If you don't have the luxury of a mechanical splitter those things tend to matter.

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Thanks for the clarification. Your previous post read as a dismissal of the F3 as a toy and not a heater. That was the only part I had issue with.

The OP should go with the Castine, or possibly look into a soapstone.

Mr Crabs said:

Thank you all, Lots of opinion's out there all good. The wife and I are going with the Castine, the longer burn time and the bigger firebox is what we need during our winters. Thanks Again.

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I had the same decision to make, and toiled for a few weeks on it, but in the end went with the Castine for the same reasons. You won't be sorry, it's an awesome stove I love it. I am in the middle of my break in burns and it has been super easy to control the heat. I've burned wood my entire life and this has been the easiest 'appliance' I've used to burn in to date. Enjoy!

i love hearing theses comments