Anyone Switch from A Quad to a Blaze King? Opinions?

[richg]

Gang,

I picked up a Quad 4300 Step Top in April of 2010 and am not impressed. My wood is very well seasoned oak, ash hickory and sugar maple. Burn times are short ( not even 10 hours on low), it's tough to control (it will rage out of control with controls fully damped down), it has to be re-lit all the time and the quality of the thing is just cr@p. It rattles, hums, etc etc etc. I am looking at a Blaze King Princess to match the 6-inch flu of the Quad. People here seem to be happy with Blaze King quality, burn times, "controlability" etc. Has anyone made the jump from a Quad or other tube stove to a Blaze King? Would youdo it again? Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[richg]

OK, how about anyone switch from a modern EPA tube stove to a Blaze King?

 

[jeff_t]

Do it, if that's what you want. Quite a few here have, and aren't disappointed.

 

[tobaccogrower]

long as you wont mind not fiddling and loading the stove all the time the BK is priceless, IMO!

i havnt had a tube stove but did have a modern epa stove. it was very similar to the way yours operated.

if i had to i would do it over,and over and over and over again!

 

[Highbeam]

OK, how about anyone switch from a modern EPA tube stove to a Blaze King?

Hi Rich,

I am a stove nut, and I dumped the Hearthstone Heritage after burning way over 25 cords in it to switch to a BK princess just last year. Nothing wrong with the heritage, it performed just as advertised. Thing is, non-cat stoves just don't perform as well as cat stoves in my application which is to actually heat a 1700 SF home full time.

The things you describe as drawbacks are features of the non-cat stove technology.

1) Shorter burn times, well yes, 10 hours is good for a non-cat but 30 hours is good for a cat stove. I load the stove once per day when I get home from work. You can't touch that with any other brand on the market, BKs aren't pretty but NO other stove can offer 30 hour burn times.

2) Control. Non-cats are made so that you do not have full control. To meet EPA requirements they can not be burned low and smolder. Cat stoves thrive at low outputs so they are allowed to burn a full range from cool to hot.

There are more benefits but to me, burn time is extremely important. It is hard to believe how good cat stoves are at being a furnace replacement. I would gladly make the switch again. The only drawback is that the flameshow is not as good as what the non-cat stove put out, it was cool to watch, now I usually have just glowing coals.

 

[ohlongarm]

Gang,

I picked up a Quad 4300 Step Top in April of 2010 and am not impressed. My wood is very well seasoned oak, ash hickory and sugar maple. Burn times are short ( not even 10 hours on low), it's tough to control (it will rage out of control with controls fully damped down), it has to be re-lit all the time and the quality of the thing is just cr@p. It rattles, hums, etc etc etc. I am looking at a Blaze King Princess to match the 6-inch flu of the Quad. People here seem to be happy with Blaze King quality, burn times, "controlability" etc. Has anyone made the jump from a Quad or other tube stove to a Blaze King? Would youdo it again? Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks.

I did I had 2 5700's the first one wasn't too bad but the best burn time in low teens was 6 hours,ate wood hungrily,went through 6 cords in 3 months. The first quad burned up and both sides cracked,it was replaced in its entirety by Quad with the new fangled acc chit,I kept that stove all of 2 weeks wouldn't heat for chit,6 hour burn would be a long one. Went with a BBK and have never looked back ridiculous long heat output,lower wood consumption,I'm sold.

 

[Highbeam]

Rich, I hate to do this but I would recommend you also search for "cat vs. non-cat" threads as that is really what you're looking at here and this topic is frequently debated to great lengths. I was convinced to go for a cat stove and you may choose to stay with non-cat.

I wouldn't just send you searching for threads without first adding a post with some content.

 

[charly]

I made the switch,,, had A Quad 5700 for 2 years,, got sick of heating the chimney and not the house,,, went with a Fireview,, smaller fire box , cat stove , less wood and more heat! Nuff said! My Quad loved wood but turned it's head when it came to raising the temps in the house I think that big glass door and flames were for display purposes only

 

[northwinds]

Gang,

I picked up a Quad 4300 Step Top in April of 2010 and am not impressed. My wood is very well seasoned oak, ash hickory and sugar maple. Burn times are short ( not even 10 hours on low), it's tough to control (it will rage out of control with controls fully damped down), it has to be re-lit all the time and the quality of the thing is just cr@p. It rattles, hums, etc etc etc. I am looking at a Blaze King Princess to match the 6-inch flu of the Quad. People here seem to be happy with Blaze King quality, burn times, "controlability" etc. Has anyone made the jump from a Quad or other tube stove to a Blaze King? Would youdo it again? Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks.

Sounds like you are ready to switch. Pay no attention to the satisfied Quad owners. We'll just quietly keep on heating our homes.

 

[richg]

Hi Rich,

I am a stove nut, and I dumped the Hearthstone Heritage after burning way over 25 cords in it to switch to a BK princess just last year. Nothing wrong with the heritage, it performed just as advertised. Thing is, non-cat stoves just don't perform as well as cat stoves in my application which is to actually heat a 1700 SF home full time.

The things you describe as drawbacks are features of the non-cat stove technology.

1) Shorter burn times, well yes, 10 hours is good for a non-cat but 30 hours is good for a cat stove. I load the stove once per day when I get home from work. You can't touch that with any other brand on the market, BKs aren't pretty but NO other stove can offer 30 hour burn times.

2) Control. Non-cats are made so that you do not have full control. To meet EPA requirements they can not be burned low and smolder. Cat stoves thrive at low outputs so they are allowed to burn a full range from cool to hot.

There are more benefits but to me, burn time is extremely important. It is hard to believe how good cat stoves are at being a furnace replacement. I would gladly make the switch again. The only drawback is that the flameshow is not as good as what the non-cat stove put out, it was cool to watch, now I usually have just glowing coals.

Highbeam,

Thanks for your note. this is the feedback that will be helpful in making a decision. I couldn't care less about aesthetics, whether it's the look of the stove or the "flame show" that it puts on. I work 60 hours a week and am only interested in two things: that the dang stove puts out heat and it deosn't become a second job. I'm tired of having to relight the quad at 4:30 in the morning, again when I get home from work and then feed it before bed.

I did some experimenting today and found that the quad puts out more heat with the factroy blower turned off.This was using a digital infrared thermometer. Enough is enough. If I can find a Blaze King dealer that won't try to **** and sodomize me, the order will be placed. So far, I got a quote of $4100.00 for a basic Princess., My forking Buderus GB145 propane boiler was only $400 more than that...

 

[HotCoals]

I couldn't care less about aesthetics, whether it's the look of the stove or the "flame show" that it puts on. I work 60 hours a week and am only interested in two things: that the dang stove puts out heat and it deosn't become a second job.

Sounds like a BK is the right stove for you.
You will get at least 12 hours of useable heat even when it's really cold out.
12 hour cycles are like a 1/-2/3 load for me.
So I'm sure the Princess will do it no problem.
Be forewarned that you will have a dirty glass most of the time though..lol.

 

[rdust]

OK, how about anyone switch from a modern EPA tube stove to a Blaze King?

Switched from a Lopi Endeavor after burning it for 2 season. Second season with the BK and while it has it's flaws and is not perfect I would switch again in a second.

I'm excited to hear how you like it once you make the switch. You will find the control that you have over the fire nothing short of amazing.

 

[Highbeam]

Highbeam,

Thanks for your note. this is the feedback that will be helpful in making a decision. I couldn't care less about aesthetics, whether it's the look of the stove or the "flame show" that it puts on. I work 60 hours a week and am only interested in two things: that the dang stove puts out heat and it deosn't become a second job. I'm tired of having to relight the quad at 4:30 in the morning, again when I get home from work and then feed it before bed.

I did some experimenting today and found that the quad puts out more heat with the factroy blower turned off.This was using a digital infrared thermometer. Enough is enough. If I can find a Blaze King dealer that won't try to **** and sodomize me, the order will be placed. So far, I got a quote of $4100.00 for a basic Princess., My forking Buderus GB145 propane boiler was only $400 more than that...

Dude, you are prime candidate for the BK. The most important thing for me, and for you, is having a warm house and a burning fire when you get home after work and after sleeping all night. You want the wood heat to act like a furnace with minimal effort to provide a steady heat and a warm home. That's BK territory. High peak outputs, pretty fireview, pretty stove, ultra low emissions, are the strong points of some other brands.

4100 is a rip off, you are screwed with the east coast surcharge from some yahoo middle man distributor but you can and should shop around, even travel, to find a better deal. Your price is about 2000$ too high, or a 100% surcharge to line somebody's pocket. BK, as a manufacturer, should be ashamed of this type of treatment especially since they expect you to use your local dealer.