Rate the best woodstoves?

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jpl1nh said:
Jeez BB, you're spoiling a potentially great pissin match with reasonableness. :mad: (Woodstock..sshhhsshh) :cheese:

Ah heck. OK.

Hearthstone Equinox = Cadillac Escalade

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Vogelzang Box Stove = Clown car at the rodeo

Fill in the blanks.
 
Ahhh.. Can't disagree with BB. I was buying long term and wanted the best stove to fit our situation - couldn't be happier. The gas milage is a bit better though than the Escalade and this baby is carbon neutral :cheese:

There are a lot of good stoves out there though and I think the best one is the one that fits the situation. A 911 turbo would probably loose a lot of its shine driving in stop and go traffic
 
Titan said:
woodjack, I can only speak for Regency stoves from your list.....I'd buy another in a heartbeat.I just hope they will build one with a 3.5 cu.ft. firebox all dressesd up in a cast iron suit like a P.E. Alderlea.....only purdier.

Glad to hear you like your Regency. I recently connected my Regency F3100 and have only had a few burns. So far, it seems like an awesome stove, but I wasn't sure because I bought it on craigslist knowing nothing about it. They don't seem to be that common.

This stove is so much better than my old, windowless smoke dragon. I was wondering what's better than the Regency.
 
BrotherBart said:
jpl1nh said:
Jeez BB, you're spoiling a potentially great pissin match with reasonableness. :mad: (Woodstock..sshhhsshh) :cheese:

Vogelzang Box Stove = Clown car at the rodeo

Fill in the blanks.

I tripped over one of those at the local TSC.

Vogelzang Box Stove = Single car accident.
 
wow!! the stove is only as good as the wood you burn in it! have a soapstone, but the fireplace is really my favorite.
 
In my opinion the very best stove in the whole wide world is my ..
Pacific Energy Summit that keeps me warm. you guys can argue over the rest, but my old Earth Stove is a close second as it kept me warm for years.
 
woodjack said:
Which stove is the Cadillac of woodstoves. . . and the Porche, and the Mack truck?
I know this is subjective question with no one answer, but what is your dream firebox?

My best friend bought a PE insert last year and it is the bees-knees. I wouldn't call it a Caddy, more like a modestly appointed Camry.
 
Alright, gotta say it. Woodstock for conventional woodstoves are my perception of the best. Reason is catalytic plus soapstone plus superb handmade design and workmanship. The cat-soapstone combo is the ultimate IMHO. Built to last a lifetime or more. Any part is easily replacable though hardly ever need it. Customer service second to none in any friggin business anywhere. Only thing they still need to do is add a 65k BTU heater to their lineup.
 
I think I'd comapre my Quad to a Buick. Not as fancy as a Hearthstone, nicer looking than an Englander, simple to operate and it burns like a SOB. I think mine is the best stove in the world, because it's installed in MY house!

Anyone wanna trade a 5700?!?

Chris
 
Based on the complaints and problems I've seen posted on this site over the years, I'd say the Vermont Castings* is the Edsel at the top of the junk yard pile.

Aye,
Marty

* Never had one. Never will.
 
jpl1nh said:
Alright, gotta say it. Woodstock for conventional woodstoves are my perception of the best. Reason is catalytic plus soapstone plus superb handmade design and workmanship. The cat-soapstone combo is the ultimate IMHO. Built to last a lifetime or more. Any part is easily replacable though hardly ever need it. Customer service second to none in any friggin business anywhere. Only thing they still need to do is add a 65k BTU heater to their lineup.


Even though it's not my style - that's a damn good endorsement. Thanks
 
woodjack said:
jpl1nh said:
Alright, gotta say it. Woodstock for conventional woodstoves are my perception of the best. Reason is catalytic plus soapstone plus superb handmade design and workmanship. The cat-soapstone combo is the ultimate IMHO. Built to last a lifetime or more. Any part is easily replacable though hardly ever need it. Customer service second to none in any friggin business anywhere. Only thing they still need to do is add a 65k BTU heater to their lineup.


Even though it's not my style - that's a damn good endorsement. Thanks
I receive no compensation for my endorsement of their products (and I've mentioned that to them several times. :cheese: )
 
Girl said:
The best stove is the one that keeps the family warm...

That is only partially true.

The other part is if you choose a stove with a known high trouble rate, the warmth you get from it will be from anger, disappointment and numerous trips to the dealer.

Aye,
Marty
 
We just installed are woodstove this year. And yes its a Vermont Castings. I am new at this and was very excited when I
installed it. Yes there was abit to learn about how it works. Then I found this Website. I began to get alittle discouraged
with the info about V/C. and possibly making the wrong purchase. But with the information I gained from this forum I am
very happy with my stove and its performance. But like everything there is always something better. But for me this is golden.
 
jeb said:
We just installed are woodstove this year. And yes its a Vermont Castings. I am new at this and was very excited when I
installed it. Yes there was abit to learn about how it works. Then I found this Website. I began to get alittle discouraged
with the info about V/C. and possibly making the wrong purchase. But with the information I gained from this forum I am
very happy with my stove and its performance. But like everything there is always something better. But for me this is golden.

Grandma used to say, "One man's treasure is another man's junk."

Aye,
Marty
 
I'd take the VC over my gas furnace any day...

Chris
 
Marty S said:
jeb said:
We just installed are woodstove this year. And yes its a Vermont Castings. I am new at this and was very excited when I
installed it. Yes there was abit to learn about how it works. Then I found this Website. I began to get alittle discouraged
with the info about V/C. and possibly making the wrong purchase. But with the information I gained from this forum I am
very happy with my stove and its performance. But like everything there is always something better. But for me this is golden.

Grandma used to say, "One man's treasure is another man's junk."

Aye,
Marty
LOL, my grandmother used to say "One man's junk is another man"s treasure"
 
jpl1nh said:
Marty S said:
jeb said:
We just installed are woodstove this year. And yes its a Vermont Castings. I am new at this and was very excited when I
installed it. Yes there was abit to learn about how it works. Then I found this Website. I began to get alittle discouraged
with the info about V/C. and possibly making the wrong purchase. But with the information I gained from this forum I am
very happy with my stove and its performance. But like everything there is always something better. But for me this is golden.

Grandma used to say, "One man's treasure is another man's junk."

Aye,
Marty
LOL, my grandmother used to say "One man's junk is another man"s treasure"

There's a flea market around here that uses that in their jingle "One man's trash is another man's treasuer....." Oh, you get that stuck in your head and it takes hours to disapate.

Let's see, I was happy enough that LLigetfa found my Shenandoah was still made and specs are published! Rather heavy, very plain looking, a couple neat features but certainly not fancy, must be a Dodge or maybe a 1980 Lincoln (I they they were rather heavy, long and funny looking; also somewhat classy in 1980 but far surpassed now).

So to me, everything else posted around here is a 'Cadilac', except a few 'Yugos'.
 
Newbie here. I've done a lot of reading on the board, and think I'm a bit smarter than I was when I started. I see a lot of people commenting on the Englander being a good stove. I'm curious how the experts here would compare it to a Hearthstone in terms of quality. I'm being told by a local dealer that my cost for a Hearthstone insert is over $2K. It looks like a similar Englander could be less than $1000. Is the Hearthstone twice as good?
 
I’m being told by a local dealer that my cost for a Hearthstone insert is over $2K. It looks like a similar Englander could be less than $1000. Is the Hearthstone twice as good?

Pizza Dude--All Hearthstones, to my knowledge, are soapstone stoves. Soapstone does well in terms of absorbing heat from the fire and slowly releasing it over time. It is also an expensive (and HEAVY) material to make a stove out of. If you are interested in a (relatively) gentle and lasting heat the additional price may be worth your while. As for Englander, I have no experience, but I assume they are either steel or cast iron. Steel will heat very quickly and cool down quickly. Cast Iron is somewhere between steel and soapstone.

Hearthstones are handcrafted in Vermont and are really beautiful stoves. I believe Englanders are made in VA and seem to have a good reputation.

Bottom line, if you are simply interested in keeping warm at a reasonable price I'd go with the Englander. If you are interested in keeping warm, and you'd prefer a gentler long lasting heat, and you want your stove to be not only a wood burning machine--but a something that enhances your home and perhaps it's value, then think about the Hearthstone.
 
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