Vermont Castings Aspen vs Jotul 602

Go get 1 of those AIRTIGHT barrel stove kits

I'm laughing Bub...but I don't know if that's a joke or not haha!

I'm getting some mixed opinions out there...some say cat models burn more wood & some say the the cat models burn less wood. So what is it? haha A cord of wood is costing around a 150.00/cord? Any thoughts on this?

Well it was and weren't.lol It's cheap and i saw a video on the puter where a fellow had 1 for 20 yrs.Not EPA approved and not a clean burner but will throw heat fast.Wont agree with the insurance company either.$150 a cord? WOW! $265 to $295 here and more for oak.

I found this discussion while using Google to search for a replacement glass for my VC Aspen 1920. The negative comments about the stove were surprising, as I have used the stove to heat my 750 square foot . home since 2005. Yes, the primary air inlet does clog up if neglected, however a quick shot of air through the rear air inlet brings it back to life. I don't understand why an Aspen would draft poorly, or that being a heavier stove make it less desirable. My burn times using two year old seasoned hard maple is about three to four hours, which is a stove top temperature of 300 F.

Did you read my entire Dutchwest thread? There is enough information about it there, good and bad, to keep you informed about that stove. Lots of posts on there about past and present owners of Dutchwest cat stove's experiences. No, I'm not a salesman, LMAO! Yes, I would buy another Dutchwest, probably not new. There are enough people out there who want to get rid of wood stoves for health reasons, or relocation. Some just want to upgrade or even just want something newer. I know enough about them to rebuild one myself if needed. Parts are readily available.
As far as cat vs. non cat, there isn't just one answer. Cat stoves are supposed to burn at lower rates or chocked down, better than non cats, thus extending the burn and saving on wood. Is this true when you compare any cat to any non cat? NO. There are so many brands and models, with different designs, it is impossible to make a true statement about which burns better, longer, hotter, etc... One thing is true, catalytic stoves burn more harmful gasses than nc's, generally speaking. Catalysts burn methane gasses, for one, turning them into useful heat, there is not one non cat stove that can do this. Methane oitgassing is not even regulated by the EPA in fact. Does this mean that any cat stove will create more heat out of a similar load of wood in a non cat? NO. The stove with the longest burn time that I know of is the Blaze King King. It is catalytic, thermostatically controlled, steel constructed. They claim to get up to 42 hours on one load of wood. Does this mean it is the best stove being sold today? Some people think so, others may not.

I'm not buying this. Methane isn't making it out of any firebox, EPA or no, without burning.

I didn't come up with that tidbit myself!LOL! I'm not nearly educated enough to have come up with such a theory. Go to the Sud Chemie web site and read about it there. Sud chemie has been producing all sorts of catalysts since before I was born! Who am I to argue? They were involved in the original introduction of the technology into wood stoves back in the seventies. If you have a question with the validity of the information on their site take it up with them . They are located in needham,MA. I just recently met a guy who works there coincidentally. Our kids are in the same soccer academy.
Take care,
Chris

I guess if you haven't measured something yourself, there really is no way of knowing if it's true or not! They just seem to have lots of scientific looking numbers and graphs floating around their site. I for one bought it. If it's all marketing at least they throw some numbers around to fool you, unlike Jotul they just use some old saying in a foreign language to rope us in ! No emmissions number or firebox cubic footage to confuse us dopes, right?

Now who's doin the crackin up haha?!

Methane will burn without a catalytic converter attached to a stove. I'm sure there are more than a few people on youtube lighting human produced methane. Methane would only come about from rotting stuff. There shouldn't be anything in your firebox long enough to rot.

Matt

I must say sorry for all the errors I've been making grammatically, the keys and screen on this phone are small and my fingers are not exactly tiny.
I wish I cold find out some more info on the subject. Kimd of hard right now since all my recent posts have been made ou of a droid. I can't stand using it to surf the web searching for info! But if and when I find a good source I'll try to share it here. Its source is flosting in a thread around here somewhere.

I am not against reburn tube stoves, someday I will try one. The fires are great looking in my opinion, a big plus for me. I am running strictly pellets and miss my wood fires. I'd love to have a monster with fire breathing tubes in front of me as we speak! But the Windsor keeps the furnace from going on just the same.

I never meant for my comments to pull this thread into a cat vs. non cat argument. In fact if you look back at my posts they state how hard it is to say which is trully better than the other. I am merely trying to share information that I have learned. Obviously, methane is highly flamable. Again, I'll attempt to find the imfo again and share it with you.

The true fact remains, the new F118 and 602 arenot on the market to seriously compete with the more modern and effective secondary burners in todays EPA concious world. Neither is the Aspen. When someone asks about how to spend their hard earned money, I have a hard time not making a case for a serious heater. That is the only way I would spend my money.

All that said, the new 118 claims to heat a good amount of space and packs an 8 hour punch. It may not be a terrible match for Jeff, despite the warping of the guts being reported. He may find himself replacing parts or not. Depends on how carefully it is watched. We all know how easy it is to achieve the red zone on the stovetop thermometer. I'd say an Oslo would do a better job. A Firelight would heat his entire house no matter what the winter brings. I also understand that Jeff does not intend on using his stove as a primary heater, but I've seen plenty of people who have said the same but later post threads aboit how they wish they went a step above. Who knows, he may catch the wood bug once he sees the warmth and savings a stove can offer.

I am excited This IS good stuff guys! I wonder what I'll buy???

You must be a hunt & pecker haha

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With your typing issues haha... Just got back from Cabo...started at 0330 this morning...getting a little giddy haha.

Gotcha! Cabo sounds nice, wifey has ben around there a few times, I have yet to. Yeah, this qwerty thing is a PITA! Especially the touch screen, but Im gettn better at it!

I've found this thread interesting and at times a little heated. Nice to see, though, that civility was maintained. The more I read, the more I was reminded of info that I read during my first days here at Hearth.com - one of the "Please read" articles at the head of the stove forums. It says among much else, "However, I would warn our readers and forum participants to be wary of using the Forums as a place to make actual decisions as to which stove(s) to purchase. WE ARE NOT AN UNBIASED SOURCE! You will be getting answers that run the gamut..." The link is below.

http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewannounce/13750_2/

When I read advice and comments from others, I keep this in mind. Some, perhaps a lot, of what gets posted is wound up in a lot more than scientific facts or unbiased opinions. I don't mind this fact. I rather like it. It means that I'm going to get a broad range of opinions. I'll think more. I'll see tons of great ideas executed to a high level of skill. I'll be entertained. I'll make friends. All great stuff.

Thanks to everyone who contributes here. I'm sure glad I've found this place.

The first post on this thread was about a stove to heat a 200 sq ft room in Oklahoma - any stove will be more than enough.

@ woodnstuff...I like your pun...A LITTLE HEATED haha...and yes I read that also...it's a great advice item. I'm down to making a decision on 2 stoves now and the Jotul Black Bear is still in lead contention. I wished there was a little more viewing of the fire itself...but the stove so far makes sense for my situation and it's very eye appealing to me. How long have you had yours and what's your thoughts. Your welcome to hurt my feelings and change my thinking. Please. Thanx Jeff

Well that settles it... I had a stove company or retailer come out(they also intall & sweep) and said the Jotul F 118 CB Black Bear is too big for my situation(there the ones selling the Black Bear). What's sad is I'll probably never get to try this beauty out. I want to thank everyone for the mostly positive info on preparing myself for this little investment. I'm lovin every minute talking with ya'll. I guess some of us just have something inbread in us about wood. I used to build houses and even tho I don't do that anymore I still make little things out of wood as a secondary income. And like I mentioned in a previous post... I love to smoke & grill meats/vegetables. Jeff