Blaze King Princess,Sirocco 30,or Ashford 30???

[302darren]

Looking to get a new BK to heat my 2500 sq. ft. ''A'' frame house. Stove is located in the finished basement (old school 70's wood paneling) and the house has an open floor plan with 2nd story being a loft. Current stove is a non-cat 3 cubic ft. fire box and does a decent job but it's cheaply made and I'm sick of baby sitting it. I'm stuck with a 6'' chimney liner,so my question is, do I go for more efficient fire box of Sirocco/Ashford or get the larger(by 1/10th of a cubic ft.) fire box of the Princess? Also, is the new Ashford just a Sirocco 30 fire box wrapped in cast iron? THX in advance....D

 

[jeff_t]

Chinook, Ashford, and Sirocco are all the same firebox, just different on the outside (Chinook came first ). I don't think you could possibly notice any difference in the performance of any of the stoves you mentioned. They just look different.

 

[eclecticcottage]

I think the basic question when considering those three is, which one do you like the look of better.

 

[302darren]

The Ashford looks the best,saw one in person yesterday. So you guys are saying those 3 will perform the same as the Princess?

 

[302darren]

Sorry, I now understand what you are saying. I'm just puzzled why BK would have 4 stoves in their line up that perform the same.

 

[weatherguy]

Sorry, I now understand what you are saying. I'm just puzzled why BK would have 4 stoves in their line up that perform the same.

They all look different, some people don't like the boxy look of the princess, the Sirocco is for those that like the contemporary look and the Ashord is for those that like the traditional wood stove look.

 

[jeff_t]

Sorry, I now understand what you are saying. I'm just puzzled why BK would have 4 stoves in their line up that perform the same.

Different strokes. They all have a completely different styling.

Same thing here, six different stoves built around the same guts
http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/pacific.htm

 

[Todd]

I like the looks of the Ashford but wish it had the deeper fire box of the Princess. The Princess can hold a lot of ash.

 

[302darren]

Thx guys, i understand what you're saying about the appearance thing. I guess it all evens out in the end......larger less efficient box of the princess vs the smaller more efficient box of the ashford/sirocco/chinook.

 

[Highbeam]

Thx guys, i understand what you're saying about the appearance thing. I guess it all evens out in the end......larger less efficient box of the princess vs the smaller more efficient box of the ashford/sirocco/chinook.

Woops, actually, the princess is the more efficient box. It has higher emissions but is much more efficient. You can't go wrong with any of the mid size BKs on that 6" flue.

 

[eclecticcottage]

Yeah, I wouldn't have bought a princess or chinook, but would have considered the sirocco or ashford.

 

[302darren]

One more thing fellas, Do you think I need the optional convection deck and fans(if I go with the princess) since it's gonna be in the basement or is that mainly for same floor use. I don't have a fan kit on my current stove.

 

[302darren]

Thx for the correction Highbeam, I did get my efficiency and emissions mixed up.

 

[Highbeam]

One more thing fellas, Do you think I need the optional convection deck and fans(if I go with the princess) since it's gonna be in the basement or is that mainly for same floor use. I don't have a fan kit on my current stove.

I have the convection deck on my princess and it does seem to direct more blown air across the stove top which is the hottest part due to the forward cat element. I like the looks of the deck and it was quite cheap. If I was trying to heat a house from the basement I would certainly opt for the fans and deck to maximize the ability of the stove to produce hot air. The convection deck acts to force the blown air across additional stove area which is the same as increasing the size of the heat exchanger and so more heat can be extracted for a given flow rate of air.

 

[PapaDave]

Wait, wait , wait.....the Ashford has the same firebox dimensions and configuration as the Sirocco?
I've also heard that the Ashford is only $2000. If those are all true and my dealer is selling them at that price, I'll go with the Ashford over the Sirocco. Seems odd the CI stove would be less.
Their website doesn't have Ashford specific info, but says it's available now.
Time for at least a phone call.
ETA: N/M, the price was wrong....it's $3000.
Still thinking.

 

[302darren]

Thx Highbeam.
PapaDave,the Ashford goes for $3350 around my way

 

[Machria]

Thx Highbeam.
PapaDave,the Ashford goes for $3350 around my way

That's alot of jing for a steel/iron stove.

 

[302darren]

I bought a lame price point stove that didn't last 5 years with me rebuilding the guts every year since new,so this time I will gladly shell out a lot of "jing" for the good stuff.

 

[aansorge]

A princess, if it truly has a deeper box, would be my #1 choice if it is not a centerpiece of my home. I love the deep box on my king and couldn't go back.

 

[HotCoals]

A princess, if it truly has a deeper box, would be my #1 choice if it is not a centerpiece of my home. I love the deep box on my king and couldn't go back.

We use ours as a spare bedroom in the summer...lol.

To stay on topic I would go with the Ashford of the choices.

 

[302darren]

Well guys, I ordered up the Princess today. The 3 major factors were, the larger fire box, the deeper fire box, and the more efficient fire box.Thx for all the replies & input....but I'm still in love the Ashford

 

[claybe]

You will love the princess! Sometimes the ugly girl is WAY less drama and will treat you WAY better than the good looking ones!

 

[302darren]

Ha! Well put my man.

 

[Machria]

You will love the princess! Sometimes the ugly girl is WAY less drama and will treat you WAY better than the good looking ones!

LOL

 

[Highbeam]

She'll love you a long time..... between fill ups.