Wow, this post got really long. Just a positive rant about my BK experience so far - enjoy it if you're into that kind of thing!
I just wanted to post a followup now that I've gotten the chance to burn with the Ashford 30 a bit since we've had some colder weather in NJ past week or so. It's warmed up, so I've let the stove go cold after about a week of letting it cruise low.
Before I get into the details, some history may be helpful. I discovered this forum when I moved into my house 4 years ago. The house had a Blaze King princess insert in the downstairs room. This forum was very helpful for learning how to properly use the stove. Over the years I changed the cat, the gasket and was overall quite pleased with the performance. Only problem (at no fault of the BK) is the downstairs room is not the main living space. The BK insert served to heat our guest bedroom up nicely, but that warm air never really made a huge difference upstairs, so I tended to use the old 1970's earth stove to heat the main living room and upstairs bedrooms. That old stove sure did heat the room up quickly, but overnight burns were barely achievable and I would have to feed the stove so much wood that it really did feel like a chore. I did it, because i love burning and using my oil furnace as little as possible. However, I work a full time job 50 miles away from home and my wife does the same. It simply wasn't realistic to start a fire at 6am before leaving for work and return 6pm at night to start another. The furance would kick on before we got home to get the place to a decent temperature, I'd come home and start a fire and the cycle would continue. Weekends were better because I could constantly feed the old Earth stove.
Fast forward to August 2018 I got a new job after a year of pounding the pavement. In the hottest month I decided my treat would be a new wood stove for the upstairs living room. I knew it had to be BK. Not only was I satisfied with my princess insert, but the enthusiasm on this forum that I've read over the years had to mean something. I was confident that the stoves were the best and I wanted another one. I reached out to the local dealer, got a quote for a BK King. The dealer came to scope out my space and said the King would be way too big, and to come to the shop and look over some other options. I went and checked out the Ashford, Sirocco, but the dealer was steering me towards Jotul; a brand of stove I really knew nothing about. The showroom was clearly a bit more Jotul-focused, and from what I gather they are quality stoves, but I was sticking to my guns, it had to be a BK. We landed on the Ashford 30 and it was installed in October, having its first fire not long after.
I've known the BK reputation - heck, I even had one and have been happy with it. That said, I haven't really "gotten it" till now. Me, with my work schedule that has me away from the house 12 hours a day, managed to keep the stove Active for about 4 days, maintaining a perfect 70 degree temp in the living room and 60s in the bedrooms. 24 hour burns every time. I really couldn't believe it. Getting home from work to a warm home and seeing that cat thermometer still Active just made my day.
It's still shoulder season and I'll learn more about the stove as the weather gets colder, but I'm just over the moon with my experience so far. I'm so happy I didn't get swayed to another brand of stove. I'm officially a believer - I "get it" now. I'm drinking the BK Kool-Aid with you all now. Thanks for making room for me in the club!