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ootski

New Member
Jan 9, 2008
43
Fredonia NY
QuestionIf you had a 2600 sq ft 2 story home and $3,000.00 to invest in stove only What make and model would be the best investment. House is a friend of mines, and I do not have enough knowledge to mentor him House will be fully insulated and the stove will be a 2 nd source of heat. again tks I will relay info to him as he is too busy working to pay for the new house
 
I'll list my top three favorite brands, in no particular order
Avalon
Enviro
Lopi

Take what I say and what anyone else says with a grain of salt. Check with your local dealers, if you're not mechanical, it is possible to buy a good stove from a crappy dealer and be just as disappointed in it as you would be a lemon stove.

Read this thread, it kind of sums things up. https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewannounce/13750_22/
 
I agree.....take it with a grain of salt. I researched and went to different stove shops for months before I settled on the Quadra~Fire.. I liked the asthetics and quality of them....also just as much I was looking at the dealer....to make sure I have the strong service after the sale. Very happy with my choice.
 
Once again, my opinion only, I would look at both Harman and Quadrafire. I did extensive research and in my opinion these are the top rated stoves. As also mentioned, make certain that your dealer is knowledgeable in the workings of the stove and knows how to service them, this is key in determining which stove to purchase. Also, the size of the stove ( BTU Output) in relation to the layout and square footage needs to be addressed. I ended up with a Quadrafire Mt. Vernon mainly because of the size area I was trying to heat but I could have just as easily purchased a Harman stove. Good Luck!
 
I would also say, harman and not because I just serive them. I have cleand many harman stoves that are over 13 and some 15 yrs old. I have never had a person tell me that thier breckwell or any other brand is that old, never. Harman does build a good quality stove.
 
But if he doesnt have a Harman dealer nearby that has its service attitude/knowledge in front of his $$ attitude....then buying a Harman wont do him any good unless he is very handy to fix his own. :)
 
If he does not have a Harman dealer near him, then how would he be able to buy a Harman to fix it on his own?

Of cousre you want to purchase a stove that can be serviced also. I know of one Harman dealer that will not sell to someone that lives more than 50 miles from him, because the dealer would have to go there IF there was a service call, know you have to travel 100 + miles. Not good for the dearler or owner.
 
I am a satisified Harman P-68 owner that has a good dealer behind me. That being said, I am not a Harman fanboy. I have no experience with other brands of stoves, but do see the Englander brand showing up in threads for maintenance help a lot more frequently than others.
 
Englander shows up because folks don't have dealer service and need to get it here. It is the budget model, and you certainly cannot compare it to a Harman, etc.

At least you can't yet - Corie (our forum member who is R&D;at Englander) is working on a new model.

But back to the question - as many threads here indicate, the first choice is for a brand that is locally sold and serviced. Even a Harman will (and does) need service and adjustment. A relationship with a good local dealer can help.

If you have only poor dealers nearby, there are options for purchasing a pellet stove long distance. But you should do a lot of homework before doing this.
 
Thanks to all I will relay the info There is a Harman Dealer within 20 miles and have heard great things about him
 
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