BK Craigslist score!!!

[David P]

Sometimes patience pays off..... even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while... good things come to those who wait.....

I've been looking for a Blaze King stove for over a year now and even started my search without much hope of finding something relatively new at a good price (who sells a newer Blaze King, after all?). But I kept after it and had recently begun searching a couple of times a week with hopes of catching someone getting rid of one before this winter. I've even been searching nationally without any luck... until recently.

I came across an ad for a Blaze King stove listed for $675 and the best part was it was located only about 10 miles from my home! As soon as I saw the ad I figured it was for one of the older, non-EPA compliant stoves and tried not to get my hopes up. I texted the guy and went to look at it that night. What I found was a Blaze King Princess Ultra that was manufactured in 2010, installed in 2011 and barely used.

The seller purchased the home with the stove already installed but said it appeared that the original owner didn't use it very much. He used it for part of one season. I then asked him what he was going to do with the stack. He kind of hung his head and said that he was hoping to sell it separately, but if I gave him $75 he would take it. SOLD

So I wound up with a nice looking Blaze King Princess Ultra with the gold around the door, fan kit and enough double-wall stack to go from the main level of a 2-story home through the second story roof. I am beyond happy and eagerly looking forward to making some time to get this puppy installed!! The ride home did break a few of the fire bricks so I have a small job to do in addition to the installation but I'm really excited about this find!

Edited: Correction; the stove is a Princess, not a King

 

[Sconnie Burner]

As always, we NEED pics or it didn't happen! Sounds like you basically stole that thing. Especially with the pipe for an extra $75.

 

[brenndatomu]

Dood!!

Was this deal done at gunpoint?!
You gotta be pumped...nice score!
I know the feeling...I scored on the furnace in my avatar pic too (basically scrap price, but I had a 700 mile round trip for it)

 

[David P]

Ya know, I should point out one more thing. The night I went to see the stove I offered the guy a deposit when I told him that I wanted it. He said, "No, you don't need to give me a deposit. I'm old school and my word is good." I told him I felt the same way but was more than happy to give him some money. Since I needed someone to help me move the stove I told him that I would arrange pick-up once I found out who was available and when. When I texted him the following day, he didn't replay so I called him and it immediately went to voicemail. I sent him another text later that night which also went without a reply. Hmmmm.....

I thought I came across THAT GUY who says something you want to hear, gets a better offer and sells the item despite previously committing to sell to you. I'm happy that he wasn't. In fact, he got an offer of $1200 for just the stove and kept his word to me. I don't owe him anything for living up to his word but I figure I'll do something nice for him this fall when life slows down a bit. He's a big hunter and we have about 70 acres so I'll probably have him come and hunt a weekend or two. One good turn deserves another. I give him major kudos for turning down the other offer. Seems like that's not very common anymore.

 

[begreen]

Great deal. I like that you are extending the offer to hunt in appreciation. I would probably provide a case or beer or wine depending on his preference, but the thought is the same. Take pics of the installation and enjoy your new found treasure.

 

[mwhitnee]

Wow what a steal!

 

[aansorge]

I got mine for 1000 with some piping and was ecstatic. You scored huge!

 

[jeff_t]

That's a Princess.

I wasn't the $1200 guy, but I was trying hard to buy it. Had I seen it Sunday when it was posted, you wouldn't have had a chance

I'm glad someone from here got it.

 

[firefighterjake]

Good deal . . . between what sounds like two very classy, respectable guys. Karma . . .

 

[David P]

That's a Princess.

I wasn't the $1200 guy, but I was trying hard to buy it. Had I seen it Sunday when it was posted, you wouldn't have had a chance

I'm glad someone from here got it.

You're right; it is a Princess. Glad you didn't see it!

 

[BKVP]

You may need some fine tuning with your new Princess.....Let me know if you need help.

Can we arrange the session on opening day!

Good score! We get calls nearly everyday asking about used, scratch and dent units etc. deals and we always tell them to go here or eBay or Craigslist. Glad to see a hearth.com member got the deal. Now go adjust the door gasket tension!

 

[David P]

 

[brenndatomu]

Your watch dog doesn't look very fierce...

 

[Highbeam]

Nice Simpson pipe too. Look how clean it is, hardly used at all.

The color of the soot in the connected stove pipe is nice and tan, good burn.

 

[Dairyman]

Great find David P. How's your wood supply?

 

[jeff_t]

Enjoy the clear glass now. Won't be that way for long.

This is one of the few craigslist stoves I've seen that someone actually took the time to clean.

I mighta saved a screen shot . Just in case I actually bought it and no one believed what I paid for it.

 

[David P]

Great find David P. How's your wood supply?

We also make maple syrup so I have about 2 full cords cut, split and stacked that have been drying for two seasons. I have about 1/2 cord cut, split and stacked for one season and a huge wood pile that needs my attention. We burn mostly oak, although there is some black cherry in there as well along w/a few other odds and ends. The two cords that have been out drying were earmarked for maple season (March 2016) but I think if I can get the rest of my pile finished we will be able to use that. I also have a fair amount of pine that I can use in our maple operation so we can use the dried wood to heat the house.

I have about 50-60 acres of mostly hardwoods (red & white oak, black cherry and maple) so there's no shortage of trees that are down that can be cut and lots that need to be thinned out. Finding the time is the hardest part...

I've been cutting our wood for the maple operation to 16" and splitting quite small (see pic below). Our goal here is to maximize the surface area of the wood that is burning in order to generate the maximum btus in the shortest amount of time. Hot and fast; pretty much the exact opposite of a cat stove. (We load the fire box every 5-8 minutes). I'm sure my splits are too small for the BK. What size splits have you found to work best?

The wood goes right from the splitter (Super Split) onto a pallet and is moved around with the tractor. I should be able to move these pallets fairly close to the final destination no matter where I place the stove.

 

[jeff_t]

I kept a mix of mostly big splits, and small splits to fill the gaps. By the look of some pics here, though, my idea of a big split is different from others. I filled my king to capacity with eight splits on more than one occasion.

You won't have to worry about them being to small and burning too hot. You'll never lose control of that stove. I'd keep splitting small until you get a couple years ahead. I'd also stack in single rows, and avoid oak as much as possible until you get ahead. For me, three years was okay for oak, four was good, and five was really good. But I had some really big splits.

The drier it is the better.

 

[Fastdonzi]

You owe that Dude Dinner Good Score for sure... (That's nicer than what I "Was" Going to say) Lol

 

[Swedishchef]

Ya know, I always wonder why stories like this never happen to me?! I guess not looking for 4 leaf cloversas a kid more often did not help my luck!

I am glad you were able to get that score..$650...good Lord..the stack alone is worth more than that

Awesome score and great of you to be kind in return! Congrats!

Andrew

 

[webby3650]

You got the convection deck and the rails, how nice! Nice score, enjoy it!

 

[NJ_Burner08002]

Congrats