PE True North
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it is their attemt at capturing some of the "big box" market thru a dealer's showroom. They have had the "true north" out for a while, but we have not bothered to order on for our showroom. Super27 and Summit series fly out the door at our shop. I'd rather sell those than a price point unit. I like to get people stuff that I can speak for the quality of.
Overall, they just put on the basics. The ashlip is simpler, legs basic, rear shield looks like just one bend, no side shields, (optional) and from jetmech's report, tube manifold instead of enclosed stainless baffle.
LOL, haven't seen that one for awhile.
I think his pic on the right is of a Classic and the iStove is a Spectrum.
I think his pic on the right is of a Classic and the iStove is a Spectrum.
Lopi and Avalon also came out with a line of plain Jane box type stoves last year, I think lopi calls their line the republic stoves I forget what Avalon calls them by they are the same stoves basically.
summit said:
Good on you for that, summit. And I bet you're one of many PE dealers who have reacted the same way. In the big picture, they're lucky to have a niche in the market. They should occupy it well and not worry about what happens below them, unless it threatens them quality-wise. Reaching down in quality in order to expand market share is usually a mistake.
precaud said:
Thanks! when you come to a stove shop, you should expect to see the higher end/ higher quality products there... Not to knock the True North line, I am sure they are comparable to much of the big box stuff out there, BUT....you don't go to the Cadillac dealer expecting to find an economy subcompact car. We do have a bunch of lower priced stoves at our shop, however: they are in the used rebuilt / trade in section.
Everything is built to a "price point" now. I work for a company that spent 50 yrs building their name on quality. Now with new owners everything is about price point. Hack and slash everything until you meet that point. Looks like PE is going down that same road. They could of came out with a new line not using the PE name. Like Napoleon did with timberwolf. PE will probably sell the hell out of them. Seems most want that "price point" over quality. Ill spend the extra $500 for the Super 27 any day.
PE seems to be keeping a firewall between the True North line and their mainstream products so far. There is no obvious link to the line from their website. The dealer sites I visited are not showing this product. Maybe it's better to see how this line proves itself in real world use before condemning or praising it.
BeGreen you are right, the last photo i posted was a Spectrum classic. They also had a Super 27 black with brass trimmed door. I would more than likely spend the extra money for the super as well. i just thought the true north was unique, smaller stove with 1.9 box. Time will tell if they are reliable..
I recently bought the True North and am very pleased with it. After years of stoking an inefficient Lopi at all hours of the night, I appreciate the longer burn time of the TN. The TN is well built and puts out a lot of heat. I've never had a NS loader before, but I like it a lot and would never go back to EW.
What kind of burn times are you getting with the TN,,, i liked that stove the moment i saw it... also do you use the blower or side shields
stillnotregistering said:
Post a pic or two!
Also, what are the dimensions, heating specs, and burn times? I do not see them online.
I would consider that stove for my garage install. I'll be looking for a stove by fall and the PE has a good rep out here... I would even say I could be swayed to switch from my beloved "Country" brand loyalty for the fact that they are owned by Lennox and I fear they may not be able to keep the quality.... :smirk:
jetmech said:
First of all, where I am, not crazy-cold like a lot of you guys - we're located in Foresthill, CA at ~ 2600 feet, at the snow line where typically it can get down to mid 20's, less common into the mid to high teens.
We just bought our house (built 1977, but well built and well insulated, has full dual pane, and, now since we moved in, epa cert insulated steel entry doors with triple paned glass, which made a noticeable difference) and moved in on Dec 23. There is no central heat here so the stove becomes mighty important. On Dec 21 I realized the existing stove was not going to work (a really old side-loading barrel-stove PoS that leaked smoke and was going to get us killed). I know a lot about building fires in stoves as our primary heat for the last 15 years - in old, old rentals - but I never paid much attention to the stoves I was dealt. I know they weren't modern epa approved jobs.
Any way I needed a stove fast (I also wanted to get 30% fed tax credit - yes!) but don't have a truck (yet) and no one was delivering stoves up here Christmas week - except for one guy, Dan, who runs a pretty high class stove shop (http://www.auburnhomeandenergycenter.com/index.php if you're interested) in Auburn, CA. All his stuff is epa, air tight, and the cheapest unit he had on the floor was the True North at 995 bucks. I was impressed the the stove right away. It is a sturdy, well built stove that is designed to last a long time. I like the plain, simple design. I wanted reliable functionality and durability first and foremost and I think I hit a home run at this price. Nothing I saw at the big box stores is as well built. I did some quick research on Pacific Energy before I bought - even though I had no alternative when it came to actually buying a stove because I needed one that day - and their well regarded reputation in the business made me feel even better. After using the stove for a month I have absolutely no regrets - I'd even go so far as to say I'm in love with my stove. What can I say, little kids who once were firebugs can grow up and rediscover all that is mysterious and fascinating about fire - with such a stove.
Burn time???
I'm with what's-his-name re how do you define burn time? So much depends on what you start with in the box: a two, four, six inch bed of coals? very, very hot?, lots (how much?) of fresh stacked well seasoned splits on top? Or one giant nine inch diameter piece of oak on top, and everything able to burn unattended, fully damped down? Ready, set, go? I've tried all these scenarios. Let me put it this way, because we all work and go to school around here and I don't like building fires from scratch, I've settled into a routine where I leave a medium bed of hot coals from the previous night's burn and throw one or two medium logs on it, open the damper for 5-10 min to make sure the logs are gonna burn, and then damp it all back down before I leave. That happens at ~5:30 a.m. I return 11-12 hours later to find a more than ample bed of orange coals to get things going again quickly. At this point, however, I remove ashes and coals to make room for the next 24 hour burn. I retain enough coals so I can thrown on a couple of pieces of medium kindling, wait a minute and get flames. Within 5 min I have hard wood burning again and the cycle repeats. I could never do anything like that with the Lopi, not even close.
I'm not using side shields, but I should because this stove gets really really hot and it's packed in pretty tight in a corner. Instead, I'm going to put tile up on the walls where there used to be some (the previous owners took that when they left).
I intend to get the blower from PE soon, however, it's rather pricey at 170 so I'm putting it off until pay day. But then I read stuff on this forum about possibly better ways to move the hot air, that are way cheaper, and it gets confusing for me. The PE blower mounts at the bottom back and forces cooler air up the back. The angled baffle at the top directs the air out over the top of the stove. It all sounds reasonable to me, according to the theory that getting cooler air moving over the top of the stove increases heat xfer/output. Do I have that right, lol?
Sorry if this is too wordy. Hope I answered your questions.
I really like the idea of North/South loading, for you never have to worry about logs rolling into the glass, especially when the box is full. I wish more manufacturers would build them this way, but people want more glass area (form over function?) for viewing without thinking of how they actually work in practice.stillnotregistering said:
skinanbones
Feeling the Heat
We have one of each in our showrooms and our reason for showing them was for the guy that wants a shop stove with decent clearances. The other group it appeals to is the first time wood burner that has to put in a chimney system as well.
Size wise it's the same depth as a super 27 but it's one brick narrower in width, which accounts for the lower btu rating and shorter burn-time.
Size wise it's the same depth as a super 27 but it's one brick narrower in width, which accounts for the lower btu rating and shorter burn-time.
It seems like PE has completely redone their website, or I'm looking at the same old site and it only appears unfamiliar. I was actually there researching the T5 when the TrueNorth caught my eye. Its not at all what I need for my application, but I couldn't help but check it out; I love the minimalist design. I think this would be a great little garage or shop stove.
I noticed the difference in their site, too. I liked the old site better, you seem to have to click on more stuff to get to where you want to go.
I haven't seen the price of the True North, but I suspect it's their entry to the <$1000.00 market.
I haven't seen the price of the True North, but I suspect it's their entry to the <$1000.00 market.
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