30k-40k btu gas stove.. lopo? avalon? enviro!?

[pcampbell]

I wonder if anyone can suggest some ~30k btu gas stoves as I finally think this is what we've decided on.

My wife and I checked out the Lopi Berkshire and Avalon Tree of Life today and liked them very much, but the dealer quoted us at "around" $3000 + $1000 for the installation, which seems a little bit nuts. They had a sort of "Disclaimer" on their door going into the store that their prices include everything that is needed so we shouldn't compare prices to the $2000 I see on the internet - what is costing $1000 that I am forgetting about? Vent kit? Fan? Front door?


I also noticed that these 2 companies are owned by the same parent company... Travis Industries... how do they differ?

Also interested in perhaps an Enviro Westport or Harman FireLuxe? This will give you an idea of the style we like. It is hard for me to get a grasp of which companies are better than others, especially based on the pricing that I CAN find on the internet, they are roughly similar in pricing. For example a " base" Avalon tree of life (no fan, I guess) $2000 and an Enviro Westport with vent kit, fan for around $2000.

THANKS.

 

[jtp10181]

Could also check out

http://www.quadrafire.com/Products/Gas_Burning/Gas_Model.asp?f=topaz
http://www.heatnglo.com/products/stoves/gasStoveDetail.asp?f=TIARA-II

The Tiara II pics on the site are dark, download the brochures for much better pictures.

 

[tinkabranc]

We also have been looking at the Enviro Westport.
Looking forward to hearing reviews on this one as well.

 

[pcampbell]

Thanks. Both look very nice also. Now 2 more brands, also from the same company. Is this sort of like Lincoln vs Mercury?

 

[jtp10181]

Quadrafire has a whole different style than Heat & Glo does. When you see them both up close you notice the little details that are different between the brands. Other than that I think they are both made in the same factory from the same materials, so one is not better than the other.

Another thing to consider when getting a gas stove is dealer support. Do they have qualified service techs? Eventually you will need a service call. Also you want to check out their installation practices, do they have professionally trained installers? Sometimes you need to pick the dealer first, then pick from the stoves they have available there.

I think for picking the stove you should not really worry about the brands too much. Check out the flame quality, logs, and the overall looks. I think just about any brand you will find at a dealer is going to be a good product. Some higher end stuff to look for is somethings that I know Quad and Heat & Glo have, fiber ceramic burner pans and cement logs. The metal burner pans or metal tubes don't offer the same flame quality as a fiber one. Also the cement logs I think tend to glow nicer than the low density fiber logs. Also some unit might offer or come with brick refractory panels for the inside to give it a more realistic look, and often you can add warming shelves and other accessories if that's your style.

 

[pcampbell]

Great points ... Thanks. The Berkshire and Tree of life are probably the same stove internally and we really liked the detail of the tree of life but didn't think much of the Berkshire so we'll throw that out. I've located dealers for the Heat n Glo and Quadra and Harman so we'll go check those out in person and reconvene!