Jotul Oslo vs. Castine

Hmmm . . . I'm a bit surprised to see that while I've been away not many (OK, no one) has replied to your question.

I honestly think either model would work for you. In my home I was figuring on heating 1,200 square feet on my main floor (or at least I was hoping to heat this much) and I was planning on closing off the two bedrooms on the second floor . . . as it turned out the Oslo I went with provided fantastic heat for both the first and second floor . . . although the master bedroom on the first floor is cooler. My house is a Cape (decently insulated, but could be better since three of the four walls are 2 x 4 construction) with some open lay-out (i.e. not as open as some modern "open" layouts, but not closed up like some homes).

Right now on a full load the Oslo will easily get the room up in the mid to high 70s (high 70s gets a bit warm for me) and in the dining room next to our living room where the stove is located the temp is frequently 70-74 degrees . . . a bit cooler as you get further away. Upstairs tends to run in the low 70s. I find that by positioning a fan on the floor it makes the heat in the living room circulate to the rest of the house and "evens" out the heat much better so that the living room is not unbearably hot and the other areas of the house are warm (albeit a bit cooler than the room with the stove.)

go with the Oslo, You can allways make a smaller fire. I wish i had gone with the F 600 for that respect

hehehehe. oslo will be my next and first stove after reading a lot of people arround here. i,ve ordered today so i think it will be at home at the end of the week.
so, whay not, ill ask one more tecnical thing.
is there a problem if pipe does two 45curves instead of going right up?
thing is that pipe instaled on the house, is not exactly in the corner, its just moved about 30" from corner so i have two options, put it just downside the pipe, that i know it would be great and or make curves
the second option would be mor stetic . stove would be looking to the center of the room. in the other way it would be located left side.

Hanko said:

go with the Oslo, You can allways make a smaller fire. I wish i had gone with the F 600 for that respect

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Hanko is right. You can make a small but still hot fire at the beginning of winter yet have plenty of heat when needed. Don't forget it's a left side loading door if that matters. And it likes dry wood.
Be safe.
Ed

The Oslo 500 is rated as 12000-34,700 BTU/Hr according to my handbook. Very similar to your old stove. Maybe you should just keep the old stove and by Pizzas for all of us.

Sounds like my log cabin and roughly the same size.. I went for the Oslo and its been the best decision I've made for a while. You'd be upset if you found out the Castine was too small. We have a cathedral ceiling so I ran the pipe staight up to the roof. You get a good amount of added heat from the exposed pipe and it looks pretty cool too. I keep meaning to post some pics, as our stove is only about a month old and Im almost done with the cultured stone. I'll try to post pics on this thread in a bit. Good luck, its a great stove!

Get the oslo. You will not be dissapointed, and once you get the hang of it it will not blow you out of your house.

If you really plan on using the stove you get as a substantial source of heat for your home, always go one size bigger than you think you can get away with. The castine is a great stove - but the oslo and firelight are IMHO the real workhorses of the line. True overnight burns with little effort, and the potential to get through shoulder season with quick hot fires and then roll through the really cold winter days with full stove loads. All the friends I have who have the castine as the only stove in their house (all 2 of them) have at one point or another muttered under their breath "I wish I went bigger". I have the 600 and a buddy has the 500, and neither of us has any complaints I know of.

Go with the Oslo you won't be disappointed. Once you get the tecknique down you can really dial it in and be comfortable.

Heres our new Oslo.. just have to finish a mantel.

Oslo all the way... Castine is a little too small at 1.5cu firebox.

logger said:

Heres our new Oslo.. just have to finish a mantel.

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Really beautiful logger. Very nice job. Maybe we can all go to your house for pizza. Be safe.
Ed

I am sure the happy Castine owners here will flog me for this. By the way, I am a happy Castine owner.

If I had to do it over again from now knowing what I know, I would have bought the Oslo.

The side door is a non-issue to me. The bigger firebox is. I just can't get enough wood in, and have to feed it more often.

"There is no replacement for cubic displacement"

However, the Castine is better looking than the Oslo.

colebrookman said:

logger said:

Heres our new Oslo.. just have to finish a mantel.

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Really beautiful logger. Very nice job. Maybe we can all go to your house for pizza. Be safe.
Ed

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Thanks Ed. We love the stove and so do our friends and family.

Frostbit said:

I am sure the happy Castine owners here will flog me for this. By the way, I am a happy Castine owner.

If I had to do it over again from now knowing what I know, I would have bought the Oslo.

The side door is a non-issue to me. The bigger firebox is. I just can't get enough wood in, and have to feed it more often.

"There is no replacement for cubic displacement"

However, the Castine is better looking than the Oslo.

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That seems to sum it up well, but I'll add that the Oslo drafts better too.

We've got a 1000 sq/ft a-frame we heat with a Castine. I've managed to get the downstairs (lower level, finished basement where the stove is) up to 80f. Although, it was only in the upper 40's outside.

The firebox is a bit small on the Castine. It all comes down to how you plan on burning. Our house is a weekend house, so 24/7 burning isn't in the picture.

11 Bravo said:

Glad I finally got some replies.....I was about to pull the trigger on the Castine....may have to think bout it.......but I really wanted a side door ! Not sure what the firebox sizes are......but on the Century I have they are 21"x 9"x11".....You have similar house Logger ? and what about the idea of building smaller fires in a stove the size of the Oslo not being a good idea compared to big fires in the Castine ? Thanks for all the help.......

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I still think either stove would work . . . but since you mentioned liking the side door (and to be honest I like the side door as well) I would suggest going with the Oslo as it would be just a bit bigger and if you've read my past thoughts on stove size I believe in going a bit larger as you can build small fires in a large stove, but it's harder to build larger fires in a smaller stove. As for the heat . . . I routinely get the stove up to the mid- to high 70s (starts to get a bit warm then) and I typically sit in my easy chair which is 6-8 feet away from the stove.

So, what is a good price for a new Oslo ??

We have had a Jotul Combi II for over 20 years and more efficient stoves with the tax credit is appealing right now

thanks
tc

Frostbit said:

I am sure the happy Castine owners here will flog me for this. By the way, I am a happy Castine owner.

If I had to do it over again from now knowing what I know, I would have bought the Oslo.

The side door is a non-issue to me. The bigger firebox is. I just can't get enough wood in, and have to feed it more often.

"There is no replacement for cubic displacement"

However, the Castine is better looking than the Oslo.

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Are you sure that the happy Oslo owners won't flog you for the last remark?

I thought they looked pretty much the same next to each other, but if anything, the side door on the Oslo made it look more appealing.

If we're basing this on aesthetic appeal, the f-600 firelight is obviously the best looking of the three

meathead said:

If we're basing this on aesthetic appeal, the f-600 firelight is obviously the best looking of the three

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If you like seashells on your stove, then that it is mate.. that it is.

For many of the reasons mentioned about, I would suggest the Oslo. It is truly a pleasure to burn

Once you establish a good bed of coals in the Oslo, it's easy to keep it on slow heat by limiting air and feeding. Oslo all the way.