Okanagans really worth it??

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rschuerholz

New Member
Sep 27, 2009
12
MD
I have made seveal posts here recently about some issues i've had with various pellets. I just found out the dealer i purchase from carries okanagan pellets. They are $339 a ton (don't think its that 1.3 ton pallet though) vs $249 for just about everything else they stock (Omalley, Hamer, Lignetics). I hear these pellets are about the best out there. I am searching for just the right pellet for my mt vernon AE. Are these Okanagans really worth the extra $? I figure I buy a ton of okanagans or a ton of the others plus about 20 bags for the price of the okanagans. Any thoughts?
 
The Okies are an excellent pellet, BUT, I wouldnt pay that for a ton of any kind of Pellet. BJ'S here in Mass. has them for 250 a ton.
 
That is way too high for a ton of anything. More than likely that price is for the 1.3ton pallet.

I burned a few bags of the Okies last month and feel they are a very good pellet, but IMO it is
always best to try out a few bags first before commiting to a ton or more of pellets you have
never tried before.
 
rob0075 said:
......They are $339 a ton (don't think its that 1.3 ton pallet though) vs $249 for just about everything else ................Are these Okanagans really worth the extra $?

My thoughts are that there is no way I'd pay that for a ton, unless maybe they were coated in gold.

Don't guess on the pallet size....call and ask. If it's the 1.3 ton pallet, then $260/ton isn't bad at all for Oakies.

Otherwise, I'd get 3-4 bags each of O'Malleys and Hamer's and do a test.....buy the one that burns better for the $249.
 
Try before you buy, IMO I can't really tell the difference in the Okies and Dragon MT I'm burning.

Just picked up more Dragons and there were okies there too, But went with what I like.

Burn what you can afford!
 
macman said:
rob0075 said:
......They are $339 a ton (don't think its that 1.3 ton pallet though) vs $249 for just about everything else ................Are these Okanagans really worth the extra $?

My thoughts are that there is no way I'd pay that for a ton, unless maybe they were coated in gold.

Don't guess on the pallet size....call and ask. If it's the 1.3 ton pallet, then $260/ton isn't bad at all for Oakies.

Otherwise, I'd get 3-4 bags each of O'Malleys and Hamer's and do a test.....buy the one that burns better for the $249.

I have to agree with macman. That's way to much for any pellet. Hamer is a good pellet. Check the lignetics too. If there the straight hardwood then there worth the $249 any day. If there the conifer blend I would still try them. Good heat but a little more ash then normal. I would have to choose the Hamers over the conifer blend.

But that 339 seems more like the 65 bags/pallet price. I would check that.

jay
 
jack56 said:
The Okies are an excellent pellet, BUT,
I wouldnt pay that for a ton of any kind of Pellet.
BJ'S here in Mass. has them for 250 a ton.

X2!
 
I love them. We tried them for the first time this year and they burn real clean and real hot. Have tried other brands, lg's, barefoots, rocky mountains etc..., and these are far superior.
 
westcafe said:
I love them. We tried them for the first time this year and they burn real clean and real hot. Have tried other brands, lg's, barefoots, rocky mountains etc..., and these are far superior.

FAR superior then barefoots, rocky mountains, lg's etc. BTU is going to love reading this. How much did he pay you? LOL!!!!
BTU, I will write that they are far superior than any pellet ever made, if you give me a 1/2 ton of Okies!!!
 
I admit, I drank the Okanagan Koolaid in September (1 ton) and now I'm hooked for good. High heat output, low ash, very low fines and zero clinkers. When I say zero clinkers, I mean I can burn 15-20 bags without having to scrape the burn pot. That's not hype, that's a fact. So far, I've burned Dry Creek, Barefoot and NEWP (all very good pellets in their own right), but Okies really deliver the whole package: high heat, low ash, zero clinkers, very few fines. I'm picking up another ton on Saturday (1 day sale $229 per ton) for next season.
 
Glosta said:
.......I'm picking up another ton on Saturday (1 day sale $229 per ton) for next season.

Glosta, unless you plan on buying ALL the Okies at this sale (super pellet pig in the making? :gulp: ), maybe you could share the name of the place that's having the sale with the forum members who also might want to pickup a ton or 2 (or 3 or 4.....LOL)
 
Pellet Pig In Training for sure!!!

I posted the same info. last night and I just moved the thread back to the top.

Pellets Direct in Uxbridge, MA One day sale (1-9-10) on Okies $229 per ton ($4.58 per bag) cash & carry. Only while supplies last so you know the place is going to be a zoo. I’m grabbing another ton for next year. Check it out http://www.pelletsdirect.com/pricing.htm
 
I've gone thru a ton of Okies this season, and I hate to say it, but I'm hooked for the same reasons as Glosta. They are 300 a ton around here
which is $30-50 more than other brands of pellets, but they are damn hot and clean. When the temps dip below zero along with a wind, the extra cost
is irrelivent to me. So if I burn 5 tons a year, thats 150 extra to burn the good stuff. I'd waste that kind of cash on a couple of good dinners with the wife.
 
You're a Mt Vernon owner... If you go for the Okis, you might want to check out this thread from a few weeks back -
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/47578/

Kudos and thanks again to JoeS for sharing the tip in that thread. It makes a HUGE difference for me in the amount of heat the stove puts out from the same pellets.

$339 sounds like the pallet price to me too, so that is right in the ballpark if so. I paid more than that in early November.
 
I agree with everyone here..since Im a new pellet owner- try before you buy and Okies are best. The heat output is far greater than Barefoot and Cubix pellets that we tried. They are a tad more expensive than other pellets but so worth it. So we are also hooked on them.

Yes Im still talking dirty BTU! LOL
 
stevie73 said:
I agree with everyone here..since Im a new pellet owner- try before you buy and Okies are best. The heat output is far greater than Barefoot and Cubix pellets that we tried. They are a tad more expensive than other pellets but so worth it. So we are also hooked on them.

Yes Im still talking dirty BTU! LOL

stevie73, I hear the Dragon Mountains are just a bit better(more heat and cleaner) than the Okies. Do you have any near you? I do but the seller has wierd hours and I just can't hassle with it right now. Hopefully I will get to try them someday.

Funny how stoves burn things differently. I found Cubex hottest so far(but very pricey) Then the Barefoots. With Okies just slighly behind. But those Okies are the lowest ash pellets I have seen in quite a while. That's why we always say try before you buy "YRMV".

For being new to this you are doing very well at it!

Staywarm
jay
 
Oh and by the way BTU....are you working on getting those pellets into the Midwest yet? We could really use some "good" support here so you'd better hop to it.
 
Hey Jay,

The Dragons are supposed to be hotter than the Okies, but we haven't felt any difference. The pellets we sell all perform very well with the Okies my personal fav.

We have Dragons and Okies in Stock.
 
Gweeper64 said:
You're a Mt Vernon owner... If you go for the Okis, you might want to check out this thread from a few weeks back -
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/47578/

Kudos and thanks again to JoeS for sharing the tip in that thread. It makes a HUGE difference for me in the amount of heat the stove puts out from the same pellets.

$339 sounds like the pallet price to me too, so that is right in the ballpark if so. I paid more than that in early November.

Ditto here. I tried that and haven't looked back. I would pay more for Okies versus other brands, but as others have said, I wouldn't pay that much UNLESS it is the full pallet price (1.3 tons). My $.02.
 
pelletdude said:
Hey Jay,

The Dragons are supposed to be hotter than the Okies, but we haven't felt any difference. The pellets we sell all perform very well with the Okies my personal fav.

We have Dragons and Okies in Stock.

IMHO I prefer the Dragon Mtns/Green Supreme over the Okanagans but if I could not find them next
season, I would not hesitate to stock up on the Okies instead.
As long as they stay competively priced of course.... ;-)
 
pelletdude said:
Hey Jay,

The Dragons are supposed to be hotter than the Okies, but we haven't felt any difference. The pellets we sell all perform very well with the Okies my personal fav.

We have Dragons and Okies in Stock.

Pelletdude,

Your about 70 miles away from me. I found a place thats about 40 miles but he isn't there all the time. If I get a free day I still want to go check out the M55. I just don't have alot of extra time lately. I will get there one of these days.

So you think they are real close(okies and dragon's)? I have seen others saying the Dragons are even lower than ash than the okies. I like the Okies just fine, But you know me I want to try them all sooner or later anyway.

jay
 
For some of our customers - they like the Okies because they are shorter than the Dragons and seem to feed better in their stoves. As for performance they are both HOT and CLEAN.

In New England we get a lot of customers asking for hardwood pellets, but when I have them try the Dragons and Okies they can't believe the difference. The only negative comment I have gotten is some people say they burn quicker and feel they are wasting money. ( I think it is in their mind)
 
I have been a softwood believer for several years now. I do like some of the hardwoods too. But lately the softwoods are the best bang for the buck. I hear the same thing. But during my test, I did not see that. They seem to be on par with the hardwoods for hopper fill time. I was using a bag and a 1/4 a day with either species.

As it gets colder people don't realize there stove will use more. It's not going to stay at a bag a day all winter. I think some trip on that and blame the pellets. But it really just the cold weather.
 
I have also been burning the same brand of softwood for years even though most of the places in my area sell
primarily hardwoods. Cannot tell you how many times someone has given me a lecture trying to convince me
that hardwoods are better and I am wasting my $$ on the softwood pellets.
That is ok, let them beleive that because the more people that go after the hardwood brands, the more
softwoods there are left for me...OINK ;-)
 
tinkabranc said:
I have also been burning the same brand of softwood for years even though most of the places in my area sell
primarily hardwoods. Cannot tell you how many times someone has given me a lecture trying to convince me
that hardwoods are better and I am wasting my $$ on the softwood pellets.
That is ok, let them beleive that because the more people that go after the hardwood brands, the more
softwoods there are left for me...OINK ;-)

tink,

I live in yankee hardwood territory. Some pellet house owners won't even carry softwoods.(BTU know's who I mean). I feel the same way. Means more and better deals for me.
 
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