Talk me out of an Oslo...

I would not consider that a downgrade at all.. Both are perfectly viable clean burning solutions. I burned a cat stove for over 20 yrs. so I do know the difference. This stove is easy to use and very efficient and has never back puffed.

Ray

Different yes and is one better than the other? No I feel they both are good methods of heating with wood. I too love the view of a secondary burn! This along with convection heat makes this a good stove for me along with long burn times. I do find this stove can be a bit more peaky in its heat output but I have learned to burn small loads when I need less heat and that has worked out well. I wouldn't steer anyone towards a cat or secondary stove unless I knew what their circumstances and expectations were. I like the PH for the flexibility but it is too large for my home so this stove works fine for me..

Ray

We have an Oslo...will be the first winter with ours. With the approx. 10 burns we've had...the stove radiates and retains heat so much more than our PE. My wife misses our gold door and trivet...but she loves the blue/black! I like the way the cast iron keeps heating hours after the fire goes out. The mess their referring to out of the front door...isn't really any different than my PE. I have a corner install and still use the side door. Yes...I know. This Oslo...does not have the runaway issues our PE had. It seems to require more draft, albeit, I do have sufficient draft. The temps seem to stay more consistent also than our PE. Good luck with your decision...I don't think you'll go wrong with that one.

Hmmm . . . I must be doing something wrong since I still love my Oslo . . . even while loading it.

If it's "lovely" you're going for and you opt for the Oslo go with the blue-black finish.

I have to say the quality of Jotul keeps impressing itself on me every time I lite it up. We had a few cheapo stoves and a supposed good quality. All where junk compared to the Jotul air control ! We had a issue with the gasket cement just not cured right and our chimney draft but now that it is fixed it burns like a dream. In truth there is almost no effort involved because it drafts and controls air so well. From our experience with the gasket issue and wanting to order some accessories Jotul has very good service and there reps go out of the way to make sure your happy. I do not know about VC but that is our Jotul experience.

Pete

Jake's hits the nail on the head as usual. I love my Oslo and have gotten use to the shorter burn times (6 hrs of good heat output, 8 - 10 still have coals) as compared with my humongous cat stove. But I burn much less wood, and the real key is dry wood and a supply of Super Cedar to get it started with no fuss, no muss.

Oh, one more nit-picky thing - the air control lever gets too hot to control with your bare hands unless you have heavy duty callouses. But it is easy to use glove or something to move the lever.

I love my F600! The overnight burns are great. Don't rule it out. It's an easy stove to download in the shoulder season. This is my second season running it.