To Hearthstone, or Not?

[moosetrek]

We're looking at a Hearthstone Mansfield, used, for $2499 at a local dealer. The dealership will offer the 1-yr warranty, it was bought and traded in for a bigger stove 3 wks later. We have the stove in sig, but with the tax credit (still applies to used stoves, I understand) and the good reviews of soapstone, we're thinking seriously about picking it up and selling the Englander. We'll be building (we hope) in a couple years, and would plan to look at new stoves at that time anyway as we hope to have a bit larger house than we're in now. I haven't seen too many used hearthstones, other than an H1, for sale locally. Is this a decent deal? Will the Mansfield compare favorably with the Englander? One of the only complaints to the Englander is that, as a steel stove, the heat fluctuations are really noticeable (overnight, etc.), and since it's in the living room we really feel them. Would a soapstone stove actually provide a more even heat over a longer time?

Thanks all-

 

[edthedawg]

Can't wait to hear the span of opinions on this one.

I won't say the Mansfield is better than your Englander. I have no basis for such comparison.

But I will tell you a Mansfield will give you very strong, even heat. Even overnight. You hear that from MANY soapstone owners, how you get less fluctuations, more "even" heat...

Let the stone heat you - don't spend all your time and energy heating the stone

I would make the jump, myself. But it is an awfully big chunk of YOUR change involved, not mine...

 

[thinkxingu]

Hello There,
I can speak to this on a smaller level--last year, we bought an Englander NC-13 and yesterday we had a Hearthstone Homestead installed. Now, we've only used it three times for burn-in fires, but I can tell you three indisputable things I've noticed already: 1. When standing next to the Hearthstone, I don't get the blast of hot air coming off it like the torch of the 13--it really radiates much more gently, and I can see that I will like that, 2. The Hearthstone is much more efficient--on just 8 pieces of kindling, I was burning for almost two hours (only 200 degrees, but definitely noticeable), 3. The Hearthstone stays hotter MUCH longer than the Englander. I was truly blown away when, after an hour with only a couple embers, the stove was still at 200 degrees.

So far, I'm very impressed with the new stove (by the way, we bought this because my in-laws have the Heritage and love it like a cute l'il puppy wup).

S

 

[wsorg]

The soapstones are nice. You'll have to look at your finances on this one though.

 

[yukiginger]

We're looking at a Hearthstone Mansfield, used, for $2499 at a local dealer. The dealership will offer the 1-yr warranty, it was bought and traded in for a bigger stove 3 wks later. We have the stove in sig, but with the tax credit (still applies to used stoves, I understand) and the good reviews of soapstone, we're thinking seriously about picking it up and selling the Englander. We'll be building (we hope) in a couple years, and would plan to look at new stoves at that time anyway as we hope to have a bit larger house than we're in now. I haven't seen too many used hearthstones, other than an H1, for sale locally. Is this a decent deal? Will the Mansfield compare favorably with the Englander? One of the only complaints to the Englander is that, as a steel stove, the heat fluctuations are really noticeable (overnight, etc.), and since it's in the living room we really feel them. Would a soapstone stove actually provide a more even heat over a longer time?

Thanks all-

I'd check the fine print concerning the tax credit being good toward a used unit. I've not heard that at all. If you get the dealer, however, to write a receipt as with a new stove, stating new unit, or whatever, how would the government ever know?

MarkG