If you had $3000 to spend on a stove what would you get?

Good thing is you have many choices....I never owned an Englander but I would look hard at the refurbed ones at AMFM energy online. I also think the new Hudson Rivers are a good deal made by Enviro.

I would expect them to release a M55 clone sooner or later. Maybe even a Maxx or Maxx M clonce?

You would get tired of baking and sweating all the time. Florida is fine in the winter but Spring summer and fall you can have it. In Summer its completely unbearable.

I'm not sure where you can buy a brand new P61A for $3,000. Besides, I'd bet the Harman P43 will be plenty of stove for your needs and might be around that price given I believe they have a rebate offer for either $100 or $200 dollars at present. Short of that, the Enviro 55 would be my second choice or a Cumberland

Had some initial issues, but love my Harman XXV and it looks good too. May be a bit more than 3k though. Perhaps check clist

I ended up going with the Harman P43 the store I got it from had a 10% off deal so the stove hearth pad and venting kit was about $3200 for everything. I pick it up tomorrow and hopefully will get it installed this weekend.

St. Croix

Congrats. Looking forward to pics

Sweet

Now I just need to get some pellets

Congrats! Yep, Hunting for pellets is a good pass time waiting for the new toy.

What do you have available locally?

How about this stove and two seasons worth of pellets..
http://nh.craigslist.org/hsh/3355554437.html

I would buy a Quad Edge-60, they are on-clearance at many Quad dealers for about $3000.

Harman P43, and then would never look back......this one above all else......

Very close to purchasing a 300i is it relatively easy to use? I live in TN and want to use in emergencies and for supplimental heat.

Good choice, enjoy the heat.

Harman P61 Results
Our Cape is about 1500 sq ft. Built in 1968. Insulation in the walls is a joke maybe R9 about 1.5" thick. The crawl space had R19. Added another R19 attic blanket. We were burning just over 925 gal/yr for heat and hot water (40 gal Boiler Mate) Have 5 people in the house so many washes and showers.
Our oil usage dropped to around 400 gal/yr after putting the pellet stove in. We burn right around 4 tons/yr. It is in the living room(corner install) facing the hallway. Was able to keep the upstairs between 63 and 66 when it was -25F back in 2008-09. Living room was at 76-78. Oil prices back then were pushing $4.10/gal as I remember.
Hope this helps

I dont think they are made anymore,JayTakeman -a member here-has one and brags about its ability to burn anything....You might find one used or I suppose new in the back of some stove shop that doesnt sell much product.....Jay or another member will have to chime in with a price,if you can find one........

honestly i would get another old whitfield and use it for many more years. I am not convinced that the new stoves are reliable.... just browsing here tells me a Harman or Quad would be a bad investment in my world for how tempermental and fussy they are. just my opinion.

You would need to have electricity or some kind of backup as inserts do not throw much heat without their blowers running,if you want to use it during a power failure.

HMMMMMMM
I would find a clean used Whitfield like the one in my Avatar, stock the shed with plenty of fuel and stick the ballance of the three grand in a sock for a cold rainy day.

Snowy

Classic Bay 1200 all day long .. although I can get it around 2500 ..

For $3000 I'd buy two pellet stoves from Englander and put them in optimum locations. And have money left over for one ton of pellets. (this includes the pellet vent kit). I'd do the install.
Now that I think about it that's quite a bit for under $3000.
$1150x2=2300
$211x2=422 (pellet vent kit)
$209 (one ton pellets)
Total $2931

Although the entry level pellet stove from englander is...well...how I do I say this nicely....she ugly.
If I had money to burn I think there's no better looking stove than the Upland - except she don't have an auto ignitor which makes no sense to me whatsoever. But I do like the natural draft idea.