Shoulder Pellets. Yea or Nay?

According to your sig, it looks like you learned the hard way....but just once

You'd have to use some serious additives to produce 9000 BTU/lb with wood pellets - unless that number comes from the "moisture and ash free" results instead of the "as received" results, which is likely the case.

The labs really should only include the "as received" result since "moisture free" and "moisture and ash free" are just calculations based on moisture and ash content. I've seen tests come back at 9150 BTU/lb for the "moisture and ash free" results but it's not a useful number.

It's the same with the ash. The only number anyone should care about is the "as received" number since that's how the pellets will be used. Nobody is going to remove the ash and/or get the moisture to 0% BEFORE burning the pellets.

Exactly why I haven't bought any "premium" pellets. What does premium mean anyway? Anyone can stick a flashy word on their bag. Oh wait, didn't someone do that last year? hmmmmmm

Actually 'back in the day' when I bought my stove, like 14 years ago, the NEWPs produced very little ash. I could go forever without emptying my ash pan. I don't know what happened over the years.

Nay, burn good stuff all the time, around here there is not enough price difference to buy bad pellets

Check out my calculations:

http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/90877/

you might save $100 by burning cheaper pellets, but you'll be burning more pellets which means more cleanings.

If the above quoted Cubex btu number is the moisture/ash free calc, and the MWP btu number is the "as received" calc then that would be further good reason to go with the MWP.

see this link for MWP mixed hardwood softwood data from 2011:
http://www.mypelletstore.com/TestReports/Maine_Woods_Test_Results.pdf