Help with buying a new stove

[Geddes84]

Hey everyone I'm new here so let me say hi! I just bought a new home and plan on getting a wood stove to use as a primary heat source. I have some experience burning wood but I have some questions as to what stove I should consider. I think I would benefit from something medium to large bc the house is 2500 square feet but, it is not a traditional 2 story, the layout is kind-of spread out funny with a large room that has a vaulted ceiling off to the side where the ceiling is level with the ceiling of the living room next to it. You walk to the end of the living room tru double doors and down stairs to access the large room (which has a fireplace). What I'm thinking is the heat will not really get down into that room very easily and I'll risk heating myself out of the living room and the rest of the house with a large stove. If I do get a large stove and I'm not running it to its optimal potential how much risk of buildup will I have as opposed to a medium stove I can run optimally most of the time.

The stoves I'm interested in are the Vermont casting defiant and the encore.. I've been reading a lot of reviews on them and people say they are great stoves when it is working properly and they take a bit of matinence to keep them that way.. What other brands would have similar stoves, maybe something that will hold up better. I'm probably going to be buying used and have came across a number of the "defiant encore" models, are these easy to find parts for? Are they good stoves or should I look elsewhere. Thanks