Not a bad "looking" stove..........got lots of character! (Even "I" would buy it, for its personality, visually speaking). If it doesn't have any "issues" with the door(s) or gasket(s) (not that you couldn't perhaps fix those things, I suppose) or any other mechanical portion of the stove.
14" Max wood is an issue for me. I'd rather have a stove that took up to 20" splits, personally. Most wood cutters (unless you cut your own) are typically gonna wanna cut you 16 - 18" pieces. (That's not to say of course that there are not wood cutters who WOULD cut what you wanted, in terms of length, but........).
Your choice depends on the square footage and layout of your dwelling place. If you are trying to heat a 2,000 sq. ft. home with that stove, I'd NOT buy it. It's (imho) too small for the application. If, on the other hand, you are just heating a garage, it would be fine; provided you can deal with the 14" fire box max size.
Looks like he has some wood that goes with it......that's a good start, depending on the quality of the wood. He's not got that much wood to "go with it" but any little bit to get you going is alright. In the end, I'd have to know how you are heating your dwelling now. Is this your first wood stove? Have you used a wood stove before? Do you have additional tools and or equipment to make the installation and use a smooth transition for you? Are you going to burn 24/7? What do YOU want to use the stove for.........decoration or actual burning? (That's not an unfair question........my wife bought a Cast Iron Pot Belly Stove, just to stick in the yard
!).
I want to take a moment and affirm what others have said in here about "seeing the fire." I have always gauged a fire by the burn itself. I have a neighbor down the street who burns wood every day, and his stove is VERY ornate (cast iron) and I absolutely LOVE the character of the stove, ..........BUT.........it's glass on the front has ironwork mesh behind it, and the panes of glass (4 of them) are 4"x 2.5" and are in a collective. You can't really see anything more than a spit of flame now and again. That just doesn't cut it for me. I'd buy his stove from him and put in the garage perhaps, but not for using. Sure, you can get a "feel" for when to add wood, but I like to SEE what's going on in there.
Our Avalon Rainier 90 is a wonderful choice (of course WE would think that) for functionality, EPA rating, and although less ornate than the one you are looking at, VERY capable of heating a good size dwelling. Made in Oregon (I'm an advocate for keeping our money in domestic production), and sturdy as all get out!
http://www.avalonfirestyles.com/product_guide/wood_stoves.aspx
-Soupy1957
