Went to the stove shop today

[brokeburner]

Went to the stove shop today. they carry vermont i saw the intrepid it is the smallest stove i have ever seen. Does anyone have one that can speak of its heat output the stove man said it cranks. How about there dutchwest line is it a good quality stove they have the 2.9 cu foot firebox stove for 400 less than the englander nc 30. How do these two compare

 

[Tendencies]

Nothin but trouble and cheap workmanship in my opinion.....(VC)

 

[BrowningBAR]

I have one. I'll comment in more detail in about an hour or so. I'm heading out to the gym right now.

 

[begreen]

Some folks do ok with the Intrepid, and some don't. I wouldn't use it as the primary heater unless the space is small.

$600 for a CDW300007 doesn't sound too bad if that is the 2.9 cu ft stove. How large a space do you want to heat?

 

[BrowningBAR]

Went to the stove shop today. they carry vermont i saw the intrepid it is the smallest stove i have ever seen. Does anyone have one that can speak of its heat output the stove man said it cranks. How about there dutchwest line is it a good quality stove they have the 2.9 cu foot firebox stove for 400 less than the englander nc 30. How do these two compare

The Intrepid is a small stove that needs to be run hot to get it to throw a good amount of heat. If you run the stove at 550-650+ degrees you will get 2+ hour burn times out of it (temps after this period will be under 450 degrees). I have found that once it drops below 450 degrees it does not throw enough heat to keep room temps at a respectable level.

I have also found that 1200 sq ft heating capacity is only under near perfect circumstances. It's low end estimate of 600 seems more accurate. I also have mine partly inside a fireplace and this does not seem like an ideal situation at all for this stove. Even with a fan behind it (or in front of it).

Cat parts are also more expensive than nearly every other stove manufacturer.

I use this stove as a second (and soon to be third stove). I know others have used the stove as their main stove and have had success at it, but I can't imagine it. I bought mine used at $400. I do not see how it should have a $1500 price tag new when there are so many other stoves out there that are cheaper and far more capable.

This isn't to say it is a bad stove, just over priced for what it can do. Of course, this is just my opinion based on the experience of using one Intrepid stove. Many factors are involved including the setup, location of the stove, and the style of house I have. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Small stove- might consider a Jotul 602B. sweeeet

 

[Nic36]

I went with the PE Vista Classic in lieu of the Intrepid. It has a 1.4 cubic foot firebox. I haven't regretted it, although I may have been happy with an Intrepid. I will never know now. I changed my mind mostly because I read too many negative things about Vermont Castings when I was looking for a stove. It seems their Dutchwest stoves aren't too well loved either.

If you like the looks of the Intrepid, maybe something like a Jotul F3CB would appeal to you. That was another one I was looking for, but couldn't find locally.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Nothin but trouble and cheap workmanship in my opinion.....(VC)

x2

 

[summit]

Went to the stove shop today. they carry vermont i saw the intrepid it is the smallest stove i have ever seen. Does anyone have one that can speak of its heat output the stove man said it cranks. How about there dutchwest line is it a good quality stove they have the 2.9 cu foot firebox stove for 400 less than the englander nc 30. How do these two compare

If its the steel dutchwest stove, then You'll find its pretty much like the Englander: light bricks, thin tubes, brittle baffle.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

You are going to find a bunch of not very nice thoughts about VC. Here is a thread to read concerning some of their recent issues:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/21555/

You mentioned a Dutchwest being 400 less than a NC 30. This is surprising. Many of us here have picked up the NC 30 for a pretty low price. There is a thread about a company who was offering one for just over $700. What was the price on the 30 that you were looking at?

Matt

 

[fredarm]

I went with the PE Vista Classic in lieu of the Intrepid. It has a 1.4 cubic foot firebox. I haven't regretted it, although I may have been happy with an Intrepid. I will never know now. I changed my mind mostly because I read too many negative things about Vermont Castings when I was looking for a stove. It seems their Dutchwest stoves aren't too well loved either.

If you like the looks of the Intrepid, maybe something like a Jotul F3CB would appeal to you. That was another one I was looking for, but couldn't find locally.

I'll second the PE Vista. Mine is the insert, but it's not that much different than the stove. Built like a tank, heats well for its size and is easy to use. Lifetime warranty on the firebox. If you want something bigger, go with the medium size PE stove, which comes in a variety of flavors (Spectrum, Super, Fusion). If you want the cast iron look, check out the PE Alderlea series. The T4 is a cast iron clad Vista, the T5 is a cast iron clad Super, and so on. If you need really big, go for the Summit/T6. PE stoves tend to be priced between the box store stoves (like Englander) and the high-end stoves (like Jotul). However, if you're looking just for heating "bang for the buck" the Englander NC-30 seems to be the way to go based on what I've read here.

 

[elmoleaf]

Bought my Intrepid II catalytic stove used about 5 years ago for $275. Tore it down and rebuilt it.
Have it located at one end of 1300 sf in front of former fireplace. Open floor plan at that end...kitchen, dining, living rooms. House is circa 1965, 2x4 construction, mostly original windows, extra attic insulation. Keeps that end about 70-72F when outside temps are in teens and stove is run at 600-650F. Reload about every 2 or 3 hours, no overnight burn. Bedrooms at other end of house are usually about 66-67F with a fan to move the air.
I cut my wood to 14", even though stove can take 16"...it makes cramming multiple pieces in a bit easier. Top loading is great....just drop it all in.
The stove is basically a room heater....I push it to heat a bit more area. I can run it full blast and it doesn't heat me out of the area it's installed. Also, small size fits well for me where it's installed.

 

[begreen]

There is a very wide range of stoves the OP is looking at. They are opposite choices. One is a small cast iron cat stove and the other is a large steel non-cat stove. Seems we need more information about the area/home before getting too lost on the Intrepid or VC's issues with refractory equipped stoves.

 

[redhat]

After pellet prices skyrocketed last year I decided to get out of the pellet game and bought a used Intrepid II to heat my finished basement. It seemed small compared to my other stove (VC Encore), but I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of heat the Intrepid throws and the burn times. With hardwood I can load it up before bed and 7 hours later still have enough coals left to easily get the fire going again. The top loading is very convenient, and IMHO it looks great.

 

[brokeburner]

Im a steel man im a welder so i hate cast iron. Mainly asking how the dutchwest line is perceived. The intrepid just intrigued me for how small that little sucker is.

 

[begreen]

I thought so. The Century DW stove seems like a decent deal if you are looking for a large stove. Nothing fancy, but should work out ok.

 

[brokeburner]

after reading that vc post im buying a englander