Quadra-Fire Isle Royale or Buck Model 91 (got the Buck 91)

Both seem to be good buys. I have not run a Quad but I do like my Buck. I have about figured out the fine points with burning the 91. A little wood goes a long way. This stove is a heating beast. I do like a cat stove because you can dial it back and still get good burns.

Pretty hard choice....2yr Quad or 6yr Buck

If mama ain't happy ain't nobody happy...........

Both. At $750, he can try one, then the other, then sell whichever he likes less. (Assuming you guys don't mind lugging quarter-ton hunks of iron all over the place.)

A two-year old Isle Royale for $750? I think that could go for over a grand around here, no problem. Have him buy that. Then you can go over and watch his non-cat stove and get YOUR wife all suspicious.

"Honey, I was just watching a wood stove all night - really."

My vote is for the Isle Royle - assuming it hasn't been abused.

Bill

branchburner said:

Both. At $750, he can try one, then the other, then sell whichever he likes less. (Assuming you guys don't mind lugging quarter-ton hunks of iron all over the place.). . .

Click to expand...

I like that suggestion, but it looks like the IR has a 6" flue, and the Buck has an 8", so you'd have to try 2 chimneys too. Doh! The IR is drop-dead gorgeous, but your friend says the stove isn't for watching, so I'd pick the Buck. 50% larger firebox = more heat / longer burns. (4.4 vs. 3.0 cu ft. on paper, maybe not actual usable space.) Cat = longer burns and more control. 8" chimney = more expensive. Doh! Maybe tell 'em you can't swing $750 since the 8" chimney it requires would cost ~ $150 more than the 6" for other stoves you are considering.

An Isle Royale for $750 is a steal. Make sure there isnt something wrong with it... if not... heck I'd take a roadtrip and have me an IR. In mohagany I think the msrp on that bad boy is like 3 grand or so.

Great options, tough choice, but they are totally different stoves.

There have already been some great answers, with two at the top of that list of considerations. If the wife has a preference on looks, that would be the best choice, and chimney size/cost would be my next consideration. Both are heating machines, and that Isle Royale at $750 is a real good price.

My preference is for a plate steel stove and cat, so I would be leaning toward the Buck (I would be trying to talk him down on money though in case the cat is bad). However, my love of a good deal has me drooling over that Isle Royale. It is possible you will spend some money on a cat up front, but that and gaskets for the door will most likely be the only maintenance items you will have to deal with on it over the years. The Isle Royale will need maintenance over time also, including door gaskets, tubes and baffles, it has way more parts than a Buck has.

In all honesty, you can't really loose with either stove assuming they are both ready to burn. Let us know what you go with, and take pictures. We love pictures.

Den said:

branchburner said:

Both. At $750, he can try one, then the other, then sell whichever he likes less. (Assuming you guys don't mind lugging quarter-ton hunks of iron all over the place.). . .

Click to expand...

I like that suggestion, but it looks like the IR has a 6" flue, and the Buck has an 8", so you'd have to try 2 chimneys too. Doh! .

Click to expand...

Doh! I forgot about that.

If he gets the Buck and for whatever reason needs/wants to switch out, he's limited to his 8" setup. Buying 6" pipe not only costs less, it may be more versatile down the road.

Unless he sees a 3-year old BK King for $750!

"1700sf old drafty square 2 story farm house, stairs are in the room the stove is going in and he wants to burn most of the time"

Seems the Buck, with the larger firebox, would fit the need of the above sentence the best.

Rob

Add on the cost of a new combustor for the Buck, sure to be due soon.

Depends on how it was used. Did they burn dry wood and engage the cat only after it was up to temp? Did they periodically clean the cat? Whenever it needs a new one, I guess you could look at it as an opportunity to upgrade to a steel cat. Anyhow, I still vote for the Buck so that you can tell us how it compares to your big cat.

It's really a toss up. I find it hard to believe the wife isn't taking a position. Based on style alone, I know MY wife would take the IR in a second over the Buck. Not that that would make it easy for me - suddenly I'd find reasons to like the Buck better!

I say if your getting a stove that is oversized, go with the cat.

I would get the Buck. Here are some real world observations:

My friend has an IR, it's a very nice stove and makes lots of heat. I helped install it, and can attest to the weight of this unit: There is a LOT of metal, it's a heavy beast. He's found that he doesn't like the top loading door and the swing-away baffle/tube device, as the baffle won't swing back to the "up" position if you put too much wood in it, so he loads from the front doors. When using the front doors, the andirons have to be rotated out of the way for loading and then placed back up when finished if loading east-west. This is ok, but the andirons are only so tall, and if/when wood is placed higher up in the firebox, he sometimes has to keep it pushed back with a poker while closing the doors. He likes to leave them down and load north-south, but that limits the length of his wood pieces due to the firebox depth and configuration (it's wider than it is deep). This would be a lot better stove from a practical standpoint if it had a side-loading door, rather than the front (at least that's his opinion, and after watching this stove in operation numerous times, I agree). He also thinks it should have a deeper firebox up & down, as the ashes/coals build up to the level of the doors quicker than he would like.

I can't speak at length about the Buck, as I have no experience with it. It may need a new converter, it may not. It WILL need one someday, but that shouldn't prevent you from considering the Buck. Burning a Woodstock and now a Blaze King, I know the operation of CAT stoves, so I am sure the Buck would satisfy all the requirements for volume, burn time, heat output, etc. I don't think it's as aesthetically pleasing as the IR, but that's strictly personal opinion that each one of us makes on our own. I love to watch the IR and another friend's Quad 3100 burn, but not enough to replace the utilitarian value of 24/7 burning in my BKK. I feel confident that the Buck is very similar to that.

Good luck and keep us informed!

JD- PLEASE let me know if he decideds to get the Buck, and the Isle Royale is still available! That's the exact stove, same color and everything, that I've been wanting to get... I don't see them used very often, especially not within reasonable driving distance, so I'd pretty much resorted to saving my pennies for a new one.

So, naturally, in answer to your original question- I'd advise him to get the Buck haha!