Random thoughts . . .
Jotuls fancy . . . Sure they're nice looking, but I never really thought of them as all that ornate. Maybe a little more dressed up than a plain Jane steel stove, but a long ways from the Woodstocks and their fancy metal work and pretty soapstone.
Hurrah for Mr. Kelly . . . maybe the second time will be the charm. A lot of folks here seem to like the PEs . . . even if they're not a Jotul (sorry Big Redd
)
Sizes . . . sizes are all relative. I didn't and still don't quibble over the exact dimensions of the firebox. What I learned in my first year of burning is this. 1) Size matters, but only to a certain degree. I never fill the firebox to the brim and still find that by running the woodstove properly (i.e. knowing how to run it) and using seasoned wood I can get the heat and long burns that I want without having to fill every nook and cranny in the firebox and 2) Just because you can put wood at Size X into the firebox doesn't mean you have to or want to go to that maximum length just so you can fill up the firebox as much as possible (heck, I rarely go the full length since it's always easier to load wood that is a bit shorter as wood is rarely perfectly straight -- at least my wood -- and I'm always having to deal with curves, branch nubs, coals, etc. which means the wood doesn't always fit in perfectly . . . it's nice to have some fudging space to move things around.
Space . . . It's not always the size of the firebox which wins the race, it's the whole package. In an auto race the car with the biggest engine doesn't always win . . . it helps to be sure . . . but you also have to have other components working together to "win" the race -- good tires, good suspension and a good driver. In the same way, a good stove isn't just about being able to fit in the maximum amount of wood -- it's about having a good baffle that will not crumble easily, parts that are tough, seasoned wood and a person who is, or becomes, experienced in knowing how to drive their stove.
The dealer is your friend . . . If you want to know a specific answer . . . especially a technical question . . . call the dealer. If they don't know the answer chances are a good dealer will take the time to call the manufacturer and find out the answer for you and get back to you. However, in their "busy season" don't expect the dealer to drop everything when you come in on a Saturday morning when their shop is swamped.
It's not art, it's fuel to keep me warm . . . I don't sweat the size of the wood. I try to cut my wood a couple inches shorter than the maximum length . . . if it's a bit shorter than most pieces, it's good, if it's a bit too long, I'll recut it . . . fact is . . . all seasoned wood burns and burning wood is what keeps me warm . . . a few inches one way or another will make little difference in the BTUs . . . whether it's stacked EW, NS or whatever other compass direction we can come up with.
Advertising . . . For most folks buying a stove they're not buying the technical specs . . . they're buying the dream. The dream of a warm home. The dream of a crackling fire. The dream of cheaper heat. As a result, you will not see lots and lots of technical info, but rather what you will see in the glossy brochures are pictures -- lots of pictures. Pictures showing a roaring fire with a beautiful couple sitting nearby playing chess or reading a book or opening gifts while their pet dog or cat slumbers peacefully near the fire. You will not see the woodchips. You will not see the ash. You will not see the blackened glass . . . and you will not see the hard facts . . . because for most folks, the brochures are all about the dream and seeing the pretty, shiny stove with the pretty, shiny people in their pretty, shiny homes. Heck, I would wager a lot of folks out there go into a stove shop having no idea on how to size a stove for their home or even know what they want in a stove (i.e. steel, cast iron or soapstone, cat or secondary burn, etc.) . . . they just go in to these stores knowing or thinking they want a woodstove.
