New Guy with a stupid question

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wcook

New Member
Hearth Supporter
Sep 25, 2007
2
Hello,

I am in the market for a pellet stove and I am not sure which way to go. I saw an Englander 25-PVDC at Home Depot for $1399. It seemed like a good stove. All of my friends already have pellet stoves and they are telling me I need to get a Lopi or Austroflamm (Sp?). Both of these pellet stoves cost twice as much or more. Are they really that much better? I am only trying to heat about 1,200 square feet. I live in the Pacific NW if that makes a difference. I don't want to waste my money if all I am buying is a name. I have no problem paying for quality, but 2x the price? What am I going to get for the extra $$$ ? I don't care if the stove has gold trim, etc. Any insight as to the pros and cons for either stove would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Wayne
 
Welcome to the Hearth Wayne. There are a couple of Englander folks and fellow pelletheads that will be along to give you a hand.
 
I have a friend with an Englander, and he loves it. The big difference is in automation. The Englander is a good stove, but i needs to be started with gel starter. The more expensive stoves will self start, and have more automatic features like thermostatic control.

Better? probably not. I know people with cheap hondas that never had a problem, People with expensive BMW's Lots of problems.

Better?
 
How true,fancy extras are nice....when they're working!K.I.S.S!
 
Sometimes I look at those $1400 pellet stoves and wonder "Is everyone else overcharging, or is Englander undercharging?" - I suspect it is a little of both. You also pay for style, brass or gold doors....and, yes, dealer markup. The local dealer must make a profit in order to keep answering your questions and phone calls. Some stove companies have dealers AND distributors - this means two markups on the way to you. A good comparison is the computer business. Way back when, an apple dealer made 30% on a sale, then 20%, then 12%, then 10% and now Apple makes all the profit! But that makes computers cost less for more power....

Mass production also is part of it - for $1400, you could buy a dishwasher, a range, a washer and a dryer - all quite complex appliances INCLUDING dealer markup. Englander seems to have production down pretty well - I have visited the Travis (avalon) plant and they make so many various models that it is almost "custom" manufacturing.

No doubt Avalon is a good Pellet stove - but Austroflamm (good product) has come and gone into the US a couple times....so I might steer away from that one. As usual, there are products at various price levels and you have to choose your budget. When I have advertisers inquire about Hearth.com, I always say I can work with ANY budget! Another way of saying it (in the car biz) "An ass for every seat". A car dealer rarely has a car that they cannot sell!

I don't think the folks at Avalon would claim anything other than that they are a "premium quality" brand. They are not trying to capture the "heat per dollar" market as much as Englander or US Stove, etc..
 
Thank you for the input. I guess it is safe to say that the Englander will serve my needs. I just really want a dependable pellet stove and it sounds like this is it. If anyone else has any information, please keep posting.

Thanks,
Wayne
 
only thing i need comment about , the englander 25-pdvc is not a manual light unit as of 2004. they come equipped with auto ignition standard.

web is right also, we are in the "btu for the buck" market. but this isnt a "cheapo" unit we dont build cheapo's. the 25-pdvc series unit has been the most successful model unit we have produced during my 15 year tenure at ESW(over 60,000 produced since 1998). its been a great unit. i actually have one installed in my home as i type this, installed it in dec of 2004 and it hasnt missed a lick since. EPA certified, it can go anywhere, green state or not, mobile home certified as well.

if you wish to learn more about the unit , pm me or contact me at the office , i'd be happy to answer any questions. phone is 800-245-6489 , website is www.englanderstoves.com
 
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