100% POSITIVE

[daniull]

Yes I am 100% positive that the Englander is a better stove. However, Lowes here in East TN has dropped the price on the 2000sq ft Century Unit to 385. This is RETARDED. How can a person pass this up? I don't believe I can. The main issue I have....since I am a Florida boy originally...and am going through my first "Winter" here in TN is this: How bad is it? Meaning..... the Century stove. the only thing I could find is bad service and a 3/16 top plate. This does bum me out actually....I think it should be 5/16 at least according to what I have read. Any one please chime in.....

I ALSO DESPERATELY WOULD LIKE TO FIND THE ACTUAL SPECS ON THE UNIT! GO AHEAD...TRY TO FIND THEM.... GOOGLE IT ALL DAY.... YOU WILL NOT FIND ANYTHING MORE THAN A CHEESY DESCRIPTION WITH NO HARD NUMBERS! That really does bother me about the century....but not 400 USD worth. and from what I see.... it can't be that bad.

 

[Chettt]

You'll love it, I love mine.

 

[daniull]

that what i thought....

 

[daniull]

numbers please.... btu's? efficiency? is it non cat? i dont even know the basics about this unit....

 

[HumaneSocietySteve]

Hey daniull,

I live in good old East Tennessee too. I'm in Blount County or Maryville as most know it as. Where are you?

The weather we have had the last few days is close to as bad as it gets here normally. It very rarely gets in the teens.

I am not familiar with the Century but $385 is an attractive price. I will go by Lowe's tomorrow and check it out. If you are planning on using the stove for a primary heat source I would go with a more recognized brand stove that has a proven track record. If this will only be an occasional user it would probably be OK. Chett seems to like his and he lives in Michigan...lots colder up there.

One option would be to buy a used brand name stove. You may be able to get in the same price range and have a good quality proven stove.

No matter which you choose you will love having a wood stove. It is one of my favorite things in life. I split all my own wood and get great satisfaction not having to pay heating bills for the last 10 years. I have a Classic Vermont Castings Defiant built in 1975. It is old technology but it has done a good job for me. Mine came with my house but my father in law bought the same model back in the early 70"s and it's still his primary heat source today.

 

[daniull]

got any border collies?
i am looking for two.... pups!

anyway... yes... itsd for my workshop....about 1500 sq ft....not insulated at all.... my main issue is longevity..... and ease of use....

 

[daniull]

im in crossville...

 

[RedRanger]

Like Brother Bart always says" The Weight".. So why is it that those Century products are so much lighter??

Don`t believe, check around and do a comparison on the wieght of those stoves and inserts. And then ask yourself why they are on average 20% lighter?? Maybe they are decent, but for my own mind, I would like to know why the weight difference??

 

[Hogwildz]

Yes I am 100% positive that the Englander is a better stove. However, Lowes here in East TN has dropped the price on the 2000sq ft Century Unit to 385. This is RETARDED. How can a person pass this up? I don't believe I can. The main issue I have....since I am a Florida boy originally...and am going through my first "Winter" here in TN is this: How bad is it? Meaning..... the Century stove. the only thing I could find is bad service and a 3/16 top plate. This does bum me out actually....I think it should be 5/16 at least according to what I have read. Any one please chime in.....

I ALSO DESPERATELY WOULD LIKE TO FIND THE ACTUAL SPECS ON THE UNIT! GO AHEAD...TRY TO FIND THEM.... GOOGLE IT ALL DAY.... YOU WILL NOT FIND ANYTHING MORE THAN A CHEESY DESCRIPTION WITH NO HARD NUMBERS! That really does bother me about the century....but not 400 USD worth. and from what I see.... it can't be that bad.

Check this link. Its damn near same stove. I believe CFM adds the webbing on door and other lil goodies on same stove for big box store sales.
(broken link removed to http://www.vermontcastings.com/content/products/productdetails.cfm?id=322)

 

[daniull]

what about this one..... (broken link removed to http://nashville.craigslist.org/hsh/543747437.html)

 

[Hogwildz]

Someone posted recently they bought an Eglander online for $799.00 NEW
Why buy that old smoke dragon? No way for $600.00

http://overstockstoves.com/50nowomo2sqf.html

 

[Chettt]

As good a deal as that Century is, for a garage I would probably look for a $50 used one. You may want to call your home insurance agent and see if there is a problem with having one in the garage.

 

[HumaneSocietySteve]

Hey daniull,

No Border Collie pups. I do think we have an adult in foster care. Have you had a Border Collie before? This breed is very demanding and needs daily tasks to perform or they get bored and frustrated and this comes out in behavioral problems. It takes a special "active" lifestyle to make a Border Collie happy.

Since you are going to have the wood stove in your workshop you may want to check out this option http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/lee90.html This is an article from a magazine I subscribe to called BackWoods Home Magazine. This may be an option for you.

 

[Jfk4th]

Yes I am 100% positive that the Englander is a better stove. However, Lowes here in East TN has dropped the price on the 2000sq ft Century Unit to 385. This is RETARDED. How can a person pass this up? I don't believe I can. The main issue I have....since I am a Florida boy originally...and am going through my first "Winter" here in TN is this: How bad is it? Meaning..... the Century stove. the only thing I could find is bad service and a 3/16 top plate. This does bum me out actually....I think it should be 5/16 at least according to what I have read. Any one please chime in.....

I ALSO DESPERATELY WOULD LIKE TO FIND THE ACTUAL SPECS ON THE UNIT! GO AHEAD...TRY TO FIND THEM.... GOOGLE IT ALL DAY.... YOU WILL NOT FIND ANYTHING MORE THAN A CHEESY DESCRIPTION WITH NO HARD NUMBERS! That really does bother me about the century....but not 400 USD worth. and from what I see.... it can't be that bad.

Look at the specs for the Dutchwest 300007
(broken link removed to http://www.vermontcastings.com/content/products/productdetails.cfm?id=322)

This I believe is the the same stove, but the manual is still not the best. I bought the 300007 for my father last week for 299.00, yep, I am bargain guy, no price is good enough for me, must get a better deal all the time.....But anyway I was going to by the Summers Heat instead but this is for a small cabin that is not used that much. The firebox for the century is 2.9 for the Summer it is 3.5. I have to move this myself and there would have been no way of doing this with the Summer. Plus the Summer was 450 still a great price but put in the blower and you have 600 total. I paid 390 inlcuding tax with a blower. Usually 200 plus, is no big difference but again this is not for my Home or everyday use.

I could not pass up that price,
There are plenty of people that get a good overnight burn using 2 big splits ( 6 or 8 inch splits)

 

[daniull]

keep chiming guys... ok...then what should i look for used? names? I have a 2000 sq ft uninsulated workshop and I just need heat.... but overnight heat would be best....

 

[daniull]

o...and steve.... I do have 5 acres...and I would keep them in a huge kennel....and they would run around all day. I had a BC mix..... when I lived in South Africa.... but now I have a 2000 sq ft kennel and dog "mansion"...(came with house I bought) and it needs a few dogs! pups would be best.... Just hope they dont ask for a wood stove in there if they do.... Ill be sure to get them an englander

 

[daniull]

also...i would love to know what is the absolute highest efficiency in a wood stove is.....

 

[daniull]

Yes I am 100% positive that the Englander is a better stove. However, Lowes here in East TN has dropped the price on the 2000sq ft Century Unit to 385. This is RETARDED. How can a person pass this up? I don't believe I can. The main issue I have....since I am a Florida boy originally...and am going through my first "Winter" here in TN is this: How bad is it? Meaning..... the Century stove. the only thing I could find is bad service and a 3/16 top plate. This does bum me out actually....I think it should be 5/16 at least according to what I have read. Any one please chime in.....

I ALSO DESPERATELY WOULD LIKE TO FIND THE ACTUAL SPECS ON THE UNIT! GO AHEAD...TRY TO FIND THEM.... GOOGLE IT ALL DAY.... YOU WILL NOT FIND ANYTHING MORE THAN A CHEESY DESCRIPTION WITH NO HARD NUMBERS! That really does bother me about the century....but not 400 USD worth. and from what I see.... it can't be that bad.

Look at the specs for the Dutchwest 300007
(broken link removed to http://www.vermontcastings.com/content/products/productdetails.cfm?id=322)

This I believe is the the same stove, but the manual is still not the best. I bought the 300007 for my father last week for 299.00, yep, I am bargain guy, no price is good enough for me, must get a better deal all the time.....But anyway I was going to by the Summers Heat instead but this is for a small cabin that is not used that much. The firebox for the century is 2.9 for the Summer it is 3.5. I have to move this myself and there would have been no way of doing this with the Summer. Plus the Summer was 450 still a great price but put in the blower and you have 600 total. I paid 390 inlcuding tax with a blower. Usually 200 plus, is no big difference but again this is not for my Home or everyday use.

I could not pass up that price,
There are plenty of people that get a good overnight burn using 2 big splits ( 6 or 8 inch splits)

so where exactly do you steal your stoves from? wholesale?

 

[Jfk4th]

I don't even think wholesale would have given me a price of 299 for that stove. I call it the deal of the year, at least for me.....You would be happy with the Century or the Summer Heat. Now is the time to buy a stove too anywhere else, find the deals....

Good Luck

 

[begreen]

also...i would love to know what is the absolute highest efficiency in a wood stove is.....

VC Encore cat is about 1.6gms/hr. That is very impressive, almost pellet stove territory. The Englander 30 NC is 1.63 which is phenomenal for a non-cat. But I believe the winner is the Quad 3100 Millennium EPA rated at 1.1 gms/hr. That is an incredible accomplishment.

 

[daniull]

i think half the people lie about what they paid and just pretend they got it so cheap.... they probably paid retail.... or they are bitter.....



anyway.... i did end up getting the century 2000 sqft unit.....It does seem like a decent unit. Heavy enough to make two men grunt ( not elephants like I had wished)

paid 384 + Tax

I think I did well.....

also....can I use a nice fan instead of a blower? it was like 125 bucks extra.... for the blower.... now that is retarded.....

 

[daniull]

ok... since I a total noob at this.... can you long time pros chime in...and let me know your favorite ways of starting a fire? and stacking....

I know the basics....but I want some INSIDE INFO from the men who know..... to make my life easier with this thing....

thanks....

 

[crazy_dan]

i think half the people lie about what they paid and just pretend they got it so cheap.... they probably paid retail.... or they are bitter.....



anyway.... i did end up getting the century 2000 sqft unit.....It does seem like a decent unit. Heavy enough to make two men grunt ( not elephants like I had wished)

paid 384 + Tax

I think I did well.....

also....can I use a nice fan instead of a blower? it was like 125 bucks extra.... for the blower.... now that is retarded.....

Yes you can just use a fan I use a $13 box fan from wally word on a wooden TV tray that blows air across the top of mine.

 

[daniull]

yee haw.... ok.... come guys....I know there are some mods out there holding out on me.... and I do also know that I am completely new....and only a "firestarter" but I actually like this forum quite a bit and would love some input. Whats the FASTEST way to start a great fire?

 

[crazy_dan]

The fastest way I have found is about 10 gal of diesel and railroad flare.
Oh did you mean in a stove... lol


Well I put bigger splits in the front of my stove and progress to smaller ones in the back last layer of wood is really dry cedar that is split very small. I use about 5 newspaper knots then a little more cedar on top of the knots just a handful so if it does fall it won't smother the fire. Of course my stove right now is a classic and the air comes in the back not the front so if yours comes in the front the just reverse big ones in the back etc.