I’m looking into an insert for a cottage with an existing fireplace. In my area the Quadra inserts are less expensive than the Blaze King. Is there a big difference in performance? Any info is appreciated. Thanks….
Quadra vs Blaze King
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Just got my Quadra Fire this year and love it! Works great for me with little to no problems if I'm burning seasoned wood. I was very interested in the Blaze King but shyed away because of the fact that you have to replace the cat. But from what I have read on here the Blaze King is a really great stove that people love. Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for the reply. I'm assuming both need seasoned wood? The Quadra Fire is a little closer to home and quite a bit less expensive. I don't have seaasoned wood for this year, but plenty of access and storage sheds for next year. Seasoned wood will be no problem.
WSI,
this question could be better answered if we knew the size of the area you are trying to heat, as well as which BK/Quad models you are looking into. The Smaller BK is nearly aws big as the biggest quadrafire stove. If this is a small cottage, it could be easy with these stoves to put way too much heat into the place.
this question could be better answered if we knew the size of the area you are trying to heat, as well as which BK/Quad models you are looking into. The Smaller BK is nearly aws big as the biggest quadrafire stove. If this is a small cottage, it could be easy with these stoves to put way too much heat into the place.
ecocavalier02
Minister of Fire
karri0n said:
well he said insert so it would have to be the princess and also with the bk being able to turn the t stat down would give him that option of not getting cooked out of the place. dont know much about the other stove but i do know that bk kicks ass. just have to make sure your wood is really good to turn it down really low.
It's about 1000sq ft. all one story. It's a brick dug out basement, so one side is basically in the slope. It's a small lake cottage in NC. New windows so things will be fairly tight. Flat roof. It's built to add an upstairs floor if desired. So basically, it's a brick "basement" with kitchen, bath, two bedrooms and a large living room. Thanks for the input.
If your choices are down to Quad and BK, and you aren't looking at any others (not may dealers in your area?), I would say a Quad would be better for a 1000 SF space. The smallest wood insert by Quad is the 2700i, and in NC, it is rated to heat 1,750 SF of space. The BK princess could probably heat 2500 SF of space in your climate, and IMO, would be too much stove for tyhis application(and I'm 90% of the time one to say "bigger is better"). MSRP on the 2700i is 1700. I was only able to find one price fro the Princess insert, and that was $2595.97
Here's a Quad brochure:
http://www.quadrafire.com/downloads/brochures/bro_woodInsert.pdf
Here's a Quad brochure:
http://www.quadrafire.com/downloads/brochures/bro_woodInsert.pdf
We have Lopi and Jotul dealers near as well. The BK is actually 1.5hrs away, but everyone here seemed to like theirs, so I looked for our closest dealer. It seems several manufacturers have good quality available, so I'm looking for good value. Thanks for your reply. All suggestions are certainly welcome!....
Are you only considering inserts, or are you open to different options? I personally like the looks of a hearth stove sitting in front of an older fireplace.
If you like the sound of the catalytic operation of the BK, woodstock might be worth looking into as well. They are factory direct, and don't use dealers, and their customer service is renowned for being absolutely top notch. They would definitely help you pick out a stove and size it correctly for the area being heated. www.woodstove.com
If you like the sound of the catalytic operation of the BK, woodstock might be worth looking into as well. They are factory direct, and don't use dealers, and their customer service is renowned for being absolutely top notch. They would definitely help you pick out a stove and size it correctly for the area being heated. www.woodstove.com
Don't under estimate the value the post here placed on the unique thermostat of the BK's. You can lower the BTUS really low for warmer days. I'm running my King at 8,000 or so BTUS for the past 3 days during the day. My cat is 8 years old and performing superbly. Nothing beats efficiency! My King's overall is 82.5%. Not "up to" or "as high as" but overall.....
I read their web sites and brochures. I saw that sometimes the manufacturers use certain terms to hype their products. Any time you see "up to" or "as high as", that means the numbers were the absolute peak! You can call OMNI Labs in Portland and talk with a technician, but the way it was explained to me is that they do these tests for smoke and pollutants and during the tests they have certain devices that measure efficiency and heat production. So if during one of these tests the stove makes like 80,000 btu's (for maybe 30 seconds) the stove manufacturer takes that number and uses it. In actuallity, you will never get that number because you'd have to stand there a feed wood every few seconds. And they don't use firewood...they use lumber!
Same goes for efficiency. If they hit some great number for 30 seconds, by God they'll say that stove is "up to" x% efficient. Again, you'll never see the number in your home. So, I found out that when the manufacturer says "overall" it's the average. Just read the brochures and web sites, that will clue you in.
BTW, they also sometimes say "as low as" to refer to the particals in the smoke testing....again look for the "EPA GR/HR" that's the number they can't fudge!
Same goes for efficiency. If they hit some great number for 30 seconds, by God they'll say that stove is "up to" x% efficient. Again, you'll never see the number in your home. So, I found out that when the manufacturer says "overall" it's the average. Just read the brochures and web sites, that will clue you in.
BTW, they also sometimes say "as low as" to refer to the particals in the smoke testing....again look for the "EPA GR/HR" that's the number they can't fudge!
My quick gut reply, as a QF user...
The BK is known for top heat output.
Your sig shows you in NC...I assume a fairly temperate climate; similar to MD.
We like our QF fine. If we lived in one of those cold northern places, it may not produce enough heat.
So, I'm trying to say; based on your needs, I recommend the QF.
The BK is known for top heat output.
Your sig shows you in NC...I assume a fairly temperate climate; similar to MD.
We like our QF fine. If we lived in one of those cold northern places, it may not produce enough heat.
So, I'm trying to say; based on your needs, I recommend the QF.
I think small houses and people who live in more temperate climates like MD and VA stand to benefit the most from the BK. Where it really shines is in the ability to dial down the heat and get ridiculous burn times while maintaining efficiency. Any good cat stove will outperform any good non-cat in burn time as well as in efficiency **at very low BTU outputs**. You will be able to load it just twice a day! A few weeks ago I went on a trip and was gone from my house for 48 hours. I loaded up the stove, got the cat working, and dialed it down to the lowest setting. When I returned, the cat was inactive but I still had an active coal bed and was able to just throw a few more splits on.
I've owned modern EPA non-cats and now I own a BK. I have cut my wood use in the early and late (shoulder) season by more than 50%, and I have gone from needing to make 4 small fires a day to loading just twice a day.
I've owned modern EPA non-cats and now I own a BK. I have cut my wood use in the early and late (shoulder) season by more than 50%, and I have gone from needing to make 4 small fires a day to loading just twice a day.
As a 3 day old BK owner, I am pleased with mine. I also looked at the Quad stoves and they looked great as well. The thermostat played the biggest role for me, the cat seems to make it easier to run but the thermostat is the kicker. I left for Michigan yesterday evening with literally 15 minutes of training to get my wife through until I get back. She was able to get a good over night burn last night on her first attempt while maintaining a nice warm house. She loaded it up again this morning and we'll see how well it does during the warmer daytime temps. Its strange I actually priced a quad (5100 I think) at a HIGHER price to me than the princess.. Good luck with your choice, I think you will get a quality stove that will last for years either way..
Jason
Jason
Lanningjw
Minister of Fire
Hey guys, I burned with the BK insert for for several months last winter with out taking a break.
My best burn time was about 12 plus hours with the PI. This required shutting the stove down just as soon as the wood is charged dark. Takes some time to get the fire going and then shut down the T-stat..... So I had to get up a little earlier to get things set up before leaving for work.
The other thing that they say is so great about the BK is that you can dial them down with out over heating the house. My house is 1,250 Square feet. Any time its over 30 degree I am not gonna burn. Evan with it dialed all the way down its just to hot, so I am not gonna waste my wood and over heat the house. Now, when its really cold below 0, This insert keeps my house up in the middle 70 degree range.
Great insert but I don think it compare's to the BK line of stoves.
My best burn time was about 12 plus hours with the PI. This required shutting the stove down just as soon as the wood is charged dark. Takes some time to get the fire going and then shut down the T-stat..... So I had to get up a little earlier to get things set up before leaving for work.
The other thing that they say is so great about the BK is that you can dial them down with out over heating the house. My house is 1,250 Square feet. Any time its over 30 degree I am not gonna burn. Evan with it dialed all the way down its just to hot, so I am not gonna waste my wood and over heat the house. Now, when its really cold below 0, This insert keeps my house up in the middle 70 degree range.
Great insert but I don think it compare's to the BK line of stoves.
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