I NEED TO KNOW

[dr.drew]

I realise now what size stove I need for my house . What I dont know is, who are top five manufactuers in wood burnig stoves . I also am not sure if there is a difference between steel or cast iron stoves

 

[fossil]

Here's a current thread on a similar question to get you started:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/51087/

 

[dispatcher101]

I also struggled with choosing a manufacturer. You will be lucky if you get 15-20 brands as opposed to your 5. In my opinion there are a few considerations that you should look at that will help wittle down your choices.

What stoves are available to you in your area?

Are you looking for a certain look (fancy, industrial, don't care?)

Price? (soapstone is bad***, but is pricey and takes forever to heat up...but will also provide heat long after the fire is out)

Clearances (some stoves require more clearance from a combustable surface, whereas some can sit as close as 6 inches from a combustable surface.)


If you look hard enough here you will likely find praises as well as horror stories for just about every stove out there. However if you go with a good quality stove with a good install then you can't lose But here are my top 3 that I wittled it down to before my T5

1. Pacific Energy
2. Jotul
3. Lopi
(keep in mind that all of these stoves were acessable to me, and met my criteria, based on your criteria they could be totally different)

 

[firefighterjake]

I realise now what size stove I need for my house . What I dont know is, who are top five manufactuers in wood burnig stoves . I also am not sure if there is a difference between steel or cast iron stoves

Oh boy . . . not a really simple answer here.

First, are you sure you know what size stove you need? I mean to say, are you figuring out the size based solely on the stove brochures and websites? If so, you may want to take those facts and figures with a grain of salt . . . these numbers are based on lab tests and estimates . . . they do not take into account your home's insulation, home lay-out (open vs. closed design), climate (cold and windy vs. more temperate), etc. In general, I tend to recommend folks estimate their need for sizing . . . and then go one size larger since it is far easier to build a small fire in a large stove than it is to build a large fire in a small stove . . . at least without risking damage.

Manufacturers . . . well, depends . . . do you mean who are the top five in terms of sales, in terms of longevity, in terms of most highly rated, etc. I can say there are a lot of good stove companies out there . . . many of which I would recommend in a heartbeat, some of which I would have to really think long and hard and some that I would not touch with a 10-foot pole . . . but these are based on my own personal and biased opinion.

Steel vs. cast iron . . . you can read lots and lots of info on the pros and cons of steel vs. cast iron in terms of heating quality, longevity, reliability, etc. . . . and after reading a lof of material on-line and more importantly perhaps reading actual user's reports I honestly believe that when it comes to the type of construction, in most cases, steel, cast iron or soapstone . . . it's more about getting the right size stove, getting a stove with a company that has a long track record of building quality stoves and getting the stove that you think looks good in your home . . . yeah, there may be some minor differences in how the stove heats up or retains the heat, but I suspect any woodstove that has been built for some time will do the one thing you want it to do regardless of what it is made out of . . . it will heat your home.