Vermont castingss vs. Fisher

[94ranger55]

I currently run a old vigilant which I love and heat my house with.....but was considering buying another stove for my sun room to ward of some cold...Was thinking about getting another VC but have heard many good things about about Fisher on HEARTH.My question is..who made the better of the stoves in the day ..pre 1990...I like tinkering with the old iron !

 

[peakbagger]

In my humble opinion - VC's can be more efficient but are more fragile than a Fisher. If you dont want to spend the time and the money rebuilding a VC so that the bypass system works, buy the Fisher as there isnt much that can wrong with them except the need to replace the refractory tiles when they break and disapear. When I switched from a Fisher to a VC defiant I rebuilt, I cut my wood use in half. One thing about the Fischer was that I had little or no creosote buildup as the flue gases ran so hot. If you do buy a VC make sure that you dont need to buy a lot of parts as they are expensive and sometimes hard if not impossible to get. You need to factor that in on the purchase price.

 

[94ranger55]

Thats what i was thinking...the VC seems to be more of a cadillac then the fiisher..plus I like that fact the VC is cast iron....more heat retention.

 

[firefighterjake]

Crazy thought here . . . if you're looking at second hand stoves to save money have you thought about buying a low cost, but newer EPA stove which would give you more heat, view and save wood? I'm guessing that a brand new Englander stove could be picked up for just a little more than a Fisher or VC.

 

[begreen]

Not crazy at all Jake. Considering this is just supplemental, I would be looking at a new stove like the VL17 which will qualify for the tax credit.
http://www.overstockstoves.com/50tvl17--epa-certified-noncatalytic-wood-stove--1250171200.html

However, it does require 16" wood. Not sure if that would present an issue.

 

[certified106]

Had a fisher in my shop for about 5 years and I wasn't that impressed with it. I still like my Vermont Castings Dutchwest XL. The stove was bought in 1991 by my dad and then handed down to me and the only thing we have done to it is replace the catalyst every 4 years and replace the rope gaskets. Alot of people say the newer Dutchwest isn't that great of the stove, however we have a large with a catalyst that we bought in 2005 and is has been fine so far I'll let you know in another ten years if it held up as long. Not real sure how the VC company changing hands will effect everything though and only time will tell on that one. Whatever you do I personally would stay away from the everburn technology as in my opinion it's useless. (although others will disagree). Our friends bought a Dutchwest with everburn (wanted the pretty flame show) and traded it back in on a Catalyst model and have been very happy since the switch. Happy stove hunting as I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you end up with.

 

[94ranger55]

Yes i have heard the new VCs are not up too snuff...but my old vigiliant is 30 years old and still going strong

 

[Valhalla]

Yes i have heard the new VCs are not up too snuff...but my old vigiliant is 30 years old and still going strong

I completely agree, as my 1980 VC Defiant was great!! Recent VC products may have some operational and quality issues.