Help Comparing a Harman TL300 and a BlazeKing

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jhambley

Member
Sep 16, 2009
65
East Central Kansas
I'm a bit confused when trying to compare a Harman TL300 and a BlazeKing King.

The Harman uses a ceramic combustor but they say they aren't a catalytic stove? It also is a top loader. Is that an advantage?

Could you guys help me compare the two stoves. Has anyone used both of them for comparison?

Thanks in advance for your assistance!
 
Harman uses what they call 'FireDome'. It is a downdraft type of secondary combustion system that burns the gases in a ceramic chamber in the back of the stove. It seems to work much better than VC's similar system. Do a search here and read the reviews.

I have never heard anybody say they didn't love top loading stoves.

Those are kinda odd stoves to compare. What are you wanting to heat?
 
The Harman TL300 stove is a downdraft stove, so if you do not have a strong enough draft the stove will perform poorly. Poor draft can be caused by too short of chimney and or not cold enough outside (their are other factors but these are the main 2). I typically only light the stove when it is below 45::F, any temp over that requires more work to get it going.

The TL300 uses a 6" flue while the BlazeKing King needs an 8" flue. The advantage of the top loading system of the Harman stoves is that they offer a drop in grill feature. This is very useful if you wish to grill during the winter months. I find myself grilling more in the winter months than the summer months since I bought this stove. It is much easier to drop the grill in (before a re-load when you are down to coals) and cook the food, then start a BBQ outside.

The BK does not offer this feature though it does have very impressing burn times and is not as picky as the Harman is on draft.
 
So the Harmon is a catalytic stove. Both stoves use a replaceable compustion catalyst to burn the secondary gases?

I need a primary heat source for 2100 square foot ranch home. New construction, tight, well insulated, with open floor plan. Stove will be free standing in center of home. Chimney straight up and out 9 foot ceiling.
 
So the Harmon is a catalytic stove. Both stoves use a replaceable compustion catalyst to burn the secondary gases?

I need a primary heat source for 2100 square foot ranch home. New construction, tight, well insulated, with open floor plan. Stove will be free standing in center of home. Chimney straight up and out 9 foot ceiling.
No, the Blaze King is catalytic, the Harman has a secondary combustion system, its just a little different from most stoves, similar to the VC.
 
Why do you consider the comparison so unusual?

My wife likes the look of the Harman but the BlazeKing looks like a workhorse.

Not much difference in price.
 
Why do you consider the comparison so unusual?

My wife likes the look of the Harman but the BlazeKing looks like a workhorse.

Not much difference in price.
They're two different animals, ones a catalytic stove and ones a secondary burn stove. The BK will give you tons of heat and you can turn it down low for long slow burns, Im not familiar with the Harman but Mishmouse can give you more info on that one. I have the smaller BK and love it, I can heat my house with it and also in shoulder season turn it down low and get a long burn time, not as long as the King but long enough.
 
Also, the Blaze King King is a much larger stove capable of heating much long and a lot more space than the Harmon. What type of winters do you get in "East Central Kansas?"

At 2100 sq ft, the King seems a bit oversized for your area and constructions.
 
Why do you consider the comparison so unusual?

My wife likes the look of the Harman but the BlazeKing looks like a workhorse.

Not much difference in price.

Just that one is a heckuva lot bigger than the other.

In a new, tight house, you may be better served by the Princess or Chinook 30. There are also rumors of a bigger Sirocco and a cast iron clad stove. That way you wouldn't be limited by the 8" chimney if you want to change stoves down the road.

I like the look of the Harman, too.
 
Don't overlook the various Woodstock stoves either. They'd do a great job in your set up, are durable and very attractive, and the customer service is fantastic. They sell direct, so you have to go to their website to view the stoves. Lots of posts from people here who have the various models.
 
If this is your first time burning a modern stove I would personally stay away from any downdraft style stove. They seem to be more sensitive to draft, wood and loading technique than other stoves.
 
Theres quite a few stoves that would heat your house, I would be looking at the larger stoves 2.5-3cf box or thereabouts, as someone mentioned the Woodstock line is a great product and your wife may love the looks of one of those stoves.
 
May I ask why you are considering those two stoves specifically? I'm guessing because of burn times?

The BK King has a bigger firebox, the Princess would be more on the same size as the Harman Keep in mind the King needs the 8" flue instead of 6". Someone above thought the King would be too big for your application, but their literature states 2000+ square feet, so should fit about right, although the princess or the other new 3 cf stoves would have less risk of overpowering the house.

I have an older model of blaze king, so have not run a King, and have only seen the harman in operation at the dealer, and discussed maintenance with them. I would tend to go with the Blaze King stoves as they are a cat stove with a thermostatic air control, proven to be low and slow burners. Harman advertizes slow steady burns, but they are going to be putting out more heat, less burn time than the BK stoves. The firedome is more fragile than a cat, and the firebrick are special bricks that don't come cheap. Harman makes a nice looking stove, and one that will heat your house and cook your supper, but in the end, I like the Blaze Kings feature set better.
 
Also, the Blaze King King is a much larger stove capable of heating much long and a lot more space than the Harmon. What type of winters do you get in "East Central Kansas?"

At 2100 sq ft, the King seems a bit oversized for your area and constructions.

Actually it works great...King is not oversized at all with the T-stat!

My House is 2120 sqft

With the Princess Youll be loading twice as much;)
 
The harman also has the added feature of being able to use it like a fireplace. WIth an optional pop on screen you simply open the door and open the bypass handle and you have an open fire plus screen to catch anything that pops from flying out. Im not sure of any other stove that has this feature. THe radiant heat in this mode is awesome.
 
I v already had decent after burn at 55 deg outdoor temps with the harman,but you need at least a 25Ft flue system for that.
 
My TL-300, can easily do over night burns with the eco-fan still spinning even after 12+ hours after re-load. I have gone close to 17 hours before re-load with still enough coals to get it going without the use of a match. The primary reason why I went with the TL-300 over a similiar 3.0 cft stove is the fact that is is a top load and it has the drop in grill. I also already had an existing 6 inch flue installed.

Question to the OP, are you starting from scratch or is there an existing flue system in the house?
 
What type of wood do you burn over there? Are you looking for long burn times?

I burn only pine, and can still get 24 hours burns with the king. I have a 1500 sq. ft. home and it's not too big.
 
My TL-300, can easily do over night burns with the eco-fan still spinning even after 12+ hours after re-load. I have gone close to 17 hours before re-load with still enough coals to get it going without the use of a match.

Do you have the fireplace screen and do you use it MM?
 
All new construction. So, no existing flue. Don't really care about the fireplace or grill feature. As a full time burner, the ease of use and long burn times of the BK make it more attractive in my eyes :) I will be burning some poplar but mostly locust and some hedge.
 
I put the BK princess which is 2.85 CF into my 1700 SF home. It is a lot of stove. The king is not twice as big, it's only listed as 4.32 CF so the Princess is 2/3 as big as the King.

If you're to be a full time burner, go catalytic and my choice for best stove (if you can stand the looks) is the BK.
 
All new construction. So, no existing flue. Don't really care about the fireplace or grill feature. As a full time burner, the ease of use and long burn times of the BK make it more attractive in my eyes :) I will be burning some poplar but mostly locust and some hedge.

BK King it is then. No way will the harman match it for your needs.
 
I spent some time looking at the Harmans, very attractive stoves, with some impressive (advertised) specs for a non-cat stove. However, I came across too many posts and reviews of people having difficulty with the Firedome system, so I stayed away.

BK obviously has its fans (above), and if you can bear to look at one sitting in your living room, they're probably the top performing cat stove on the market. There are other more attractive cat stoves, though, which may come close to BKs performance. Buck, Woodstock, Appalacian, High Sierra, and several others. Buck and Woodstock both have their fans, here.

There are many more options if you're willing to settle for a non-cat.
 
I choose the harman cuz i didnt want to buy a catalyst every few years. There is no other stove quite like it I have 2 other brands of wood stoves but the harman is the best overall performer, the best quality,and the easiest to reload. The other 2 stove brands cant come close to the burn times. its also tall with a huge viewing window. I had to put my other stoves on a 16" platform just to be able to view the fire at a decent level.
 
From all I have read here this would be a no-brainer and choose the BK! I like the looks of the BK better and the performance appears to be top notch.Seems the TL can be difficult at times but never hear that about the BK stoves..

Ray
 
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