BrowningBAR said:Yeah, the Vig's air controls are... random? Inconsistent? Not sure the word I'm looking for.
Capricious? :smirk:
Yeah, Flatbed, I kinda shrug my shoulders when I see folks whining about having to flip a bypass lever. These old VCs are powerful heaters, but they are notoriously fiddly to operate. When I watch the simplicity of adjusting the burn on the Progress compared to many older stoves I just start grinning from ear to ear.
Another silly complaint IMO is the need to use a specialized tool to operate the bypass and the side load door. Cripes, try opening the top load door on a raging Vigilant with your bare hands. It's a solid cast iron griddle plate with a small flange in the casting for a handle... which might be anywhere up to 850º hot. :ahhh:
Heavy-duty gloves are an essential part of any woodburner's arsenal. You could easily operate the Progress without having to reach for a fancy tool merely by using a gloved hand. The tool in nice, though. How often have you stuck your gloves in your back pocket and walked away and set them somewhere else, only to go back to the stove and find you forgot to pick them up again? It's pretty certain you will leave the special tool on the hearth when you are done using it, so it will always be there when you need it.