I just got of the phone with the distribution center of Home Depot I can get the stove for $809 plus $99 for shipping. Should I take the deal or should I go with the Dorlet Aurora for $649.00
You mean Austral?
The 30 does have many more users here. . .HD selling it for $650 in years past probably has something to do with that + I think it has been in production longer than the Austral.
Both are big steel boxes with secondary burn. Both have representatives on the forum who provide good support.
I dunno how much difference there really is. . .probably not the 40% difference of $908 vs. $649. Then again, you would have to drive 5 hours to get the Drolet, and spend probably $75 on gas, so it's more like 25% difference.
AFAICS, the main difference is that the Austral uses a stainless baffle with holes in it for secondary air. The 30 uses a ceramic fiberboard baffle above several stainless tubes which bring in the secondary air, like ~90% of modern stoves. The ceramic fiberboard is somewhat delicate, and many users have cracked their ceramic baffle by carelessly loading wood. However, it's easy to install a new piece, and it's reasonably priced on e-bay. The stainless steel baffle is more durable mechanically, but perhaps not thermally; it may eventually sag or warp. I would want to know how easy it is to replace, before counting it as an advantage.
Another difference is that the Austral has a bypass for the secondary baffle, which gives the firebox unrestricted access to the flue for better draft on startup/reload. Some, like Mr. Green, will tell you that if you have an appropriate chimney for a particular stove, it will always have enough draft, thereby eliminating the need for a bypass. My stove has a bypass because it's catalytic, but I would want a bypass on a non-cat stove too. Some Drolets + some Lopis + maybe a few others are the only non-cats that use a bypass. Every user comment I've read said that they like having the bypass. You can start a fire on a 60°+ afternoon if you want to, with no draft problems. I dunno if the same could be said for a stove without a bypass on the same chimney. There are plenty of threads about poor draft on startup, smoke spillage on reload, etc. If your stove has a bypass, and the chimney is taller than 10 ft, it's not likely that you will have that kind of problem. Soo. . .personally I would choose the Austral, but I would double check on the ease of removing the stainless baffle.