Bad Reviews

[Autorotate]

After 8 months of deciding I have made the decision to go with a wood stove over a pellet. I am finally at peace with my decision...haha

I went to 5 different stove vendors today and the one stove I liked the most did not get the greatest reviews.

To start, I have approximately 2000-2300 sq ft open space that I would like to heat. My hearth is located on the second floor and I hope that some of it makes it upstairs (Not worried about the basement). My house is all electric (heat pump) in Pennsylvania. One of my main return ducts is located right about the hearth as well. I will also be getting all new piping as mine current stuff is from 1980.

After stopping in all the places these are what I made out with in order:

- Hearthstone Manchester 8360 ($2500)
- Regency F2400/F3100 ($1945/$2266)
- Lopi Liberty ($2500)
- Jotul Oslo / Firelight / Rangeley / Carrabassett ($2559 / $2939 / $2599 / $2399)

I like the older pedestal look, and also like the idea of the soap stone lining and cast iron. With the price, sq ft coverage, aesthetics, etc I really like the Manchester. However, there were some unhappy reviews on here.

Are there any others that one would recommend under the $2500 range? The place I am looking carries Vermont, Pacific, Harman, Avalon, Fireplace Extraordinar, Majestic, Big Green Egg, Hearthstone, Monessen, Enviro, Simpson, Napoleon.

Thanks everyone!!

 

[firefighterjake]

I may be wrong ... but I believe the Big Green Egg is used more for cooking outside rather than heating homes.

 

[Autorotate]

Firefighterjake, I was just listing all the manufacturers that are carried from the places website. There was no rhyme or reason for the Big Green Egg other than they were listed as a supplier for them.

 

[irishfan]

I have a Woodstock Fireview and am very happy with it. It is also made out of soapstone and cast iron. It heats my 1800 square foot house easy.

 

[spirilis]

I can vouch for the Big Green Egg for when you want to smell sweet fruitwood smoke and need to taunt your neighbors with envy.

 

[webby3650]

We have several manchesters out there and have had no issues with them. I would not be scared to buy one at all. It's a nice stove.

 

[kennyp2339]

My aunt and uncle have a regency - they love the stove and are on season 3, to me that stove is a simple design, and cranks out the heat.

 

[lopiliberty]

I have the liberty and absolutely love it. With 3 year old seasoned dry wood it cranks major heat. I'm heating the same amount of space as you and the temp never drops below 80 in the living room. Even with last years cold it never dropped below 78 and I still got 8+ hour burn times

 

[lopiliberty]

We have several manchesters out there and have had no issues with them. I would not be scared to buy one at all. It's a nice stove.

Not to change the subject but when did you switch out your oslo for the defiant/encore?

 

[Autorotate]

Thank you all very much for your input.

 

[Woody Stover]

We have several manchesters out there and have had no issues with them. I would not be scared to buy one at all. It's a nice stove.

That's good to hear. The styling of that stove really knocks me out and I'd like to be able, with confidence in the quality, to recommend it to someone that lives close to me, so I can go over and play with it. Looks like it would really convect some heat around the space, with the fins on top of the fire box and semi-open top. I wonder how that would work for cooking (not that I do it much?) Last year, they had one in a local shop with the brown enamel finish; That stove is drop-dead gorgeous! They also run a Liberty a lot at that shop. That thing is a flame thrower, and the blower is super-quiet. Lotta stoves there to pick from, Auto...good luck, and keep us updated after you get one installed and running.

 

[Autorotate]

That's good to hear. The styling of that stove really knocks me out and I'd like to be able, with confidence in the quality, to recommend it to someone that lives close to me, so I can go over and play with it. Looks like it would really convect some heat around the space, with the fins on top of the fire box and semi-open top. I wonder how that would work for cooking (not that I do it much?) Last year, they had one in a local shop with the brown enamel finish; That stove is drop-dead gorgeous! They also run a Liberty a lot at that shop. That thing is a flame thrower, and the blower is super-quiet. Lotta stoves there to pick from, Auto...good luck, and keep us updated after you get one installed and running.

I absolutely will. Decisions....Decisions...

 

[webby3650]

Not to change the subject but when did you switch out your oslo for the defiant/encore?

I had some projects I needed to get done before winter and didn't need two new stoves sitting here. The encore was a freebie, I'm experimenting with it.

The Oslo would be a front runner for me in that list of stoves. I usually prefer cast stoves over steel and stone. The fit and finish on an enamel Jotul is second to none. It's really gonna come down to personal preference, all the stoves you mentioned are great stoves.

 

[branchburner]

Since you are open to considering a few different brands, I would suggest you go with one from whichever dealer(s) strike you as the best.

If you buy direct from Woodstock, you have no local dealer but are assured outstanding customer service. Some other manufacturers have been known to offer subpar support and warranty help, as do some dealers, so pick a stove guy you can trust for good installation and follow-up service.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I may be wrong ... but I believe the Big Green Egg is used more for cooking outside rather than heating homes.

You are not wrong

 

[aansorge]

Take a look at the Woodstock Progress Hybrid. A bit more at 3 large, but lots of good reviews of the product and the company.

(broken link removed to http://www.woodstove.com/sale)

Or go for the Ideal Steel Hybrid if you want a more affordable solution.

 

[BrotherBart]

I haven't heard of problems with the Manchester in years. Early on they had assembly problems but I thought that was ironed out, pun intended, years ago.

 

[webby3650]

I haven't heard of problems with the Manchester in years. Early on they had assembly problems but I thought that was ironed out, pun intended, years ago.

The Manchester has only been out for a couple of years. They had some side door hinge issues or something. It wasn't a big deal. One member bashed them like crazy on the forums, I think this is where the bad reviews are coming from. Hearthstone made it right with him. They gave him a brand new stove.

 

[BrotherBart]

Guess I was thinking of the Bennington.

 

[webby3650]

Guess I was thinking of the Bennington.

They discontinued it when they introduced the Manchester.

 

[Papa-Yankee-Romeo-Oscar]

From your list, I'd probably go with Jotul. You should also look into the Blaze King Ashford, or as has been mentioned; Woodstock.

I replaced my Manchester with an Englander 30 toward the end of last heating season and am not regretting it. I payed $2000 less for the Englander than I did for the Hearthstone. I thought the Manchester threw a lot of heat but this Englander is a beast. I'm getting much more heat and longer burn times due to the larger and much more usable firebox. The Manchester firebox is oddly shaped and hard to actually fill, even from the side door. The box on the 30 isn't a whole lot bigger but I can get a good 1/3 more wood in it.

 

[webby3650]

From your list, I'd probably go with Jotul. You should also look into the Blaze King Ashford, or as has been mentioned; Woodstock.

I replaced my Manchester with an Englander 30 toward the end of last heating season and am not regretting it. I payed $2000 less for the Englander than I did for the Hearthstone. I thought the Manchester threw a lot of heat but this Englander is a beast. I'm getting much more heat and longer burn times due to the larger and much more usable firebox. The Manchester firebox is oddly shaped and hard to actually fill, even from the side door. The box on the 30 isn't a whole lot bigger but I can get a good 1/3 more wood in it.

It's similar in shape to the Cape Cod. I found it almost impossible to fill it up.

 

[smokedragon]

I am here to give a vote for the woodstock Ideal Steel. It is an amazing stove, and the price will come in lower than the all soapstone stoves (like the progress hybrid). You can't go to the dealer showroom and see one, but it is an awesome stove. You are close enough that you could go up and visit their manufacturing plant in NH, and they would let you tour and see all their stoves. They are a top notch company and stand behind their product.

They give a 6 month no questions asked warranty on their stoves, and will even pay return freight. I despise buying something sight unseen, but you show me another company that will stand behind their product like that........

 

[webby3650]

I am here to give a vote for the woodstock Ideal Steel. It is an amazing stove, and the price will come in lower than the all soapstone stoves (like the progress hybrid). You can't go to the dealer showroom and see one, but it is an awesome stove. You are close enough that you could go up and visit their manufacturing plant in NH, and they would let you tour and see all their stoves. They are a top notch company and stand behind their product.

They give a 6 month no questions asked warranty on their stoves, and will even pay return freight. I despise buying something sight unseen, but you show me another company that will stand behind their product like that........

Blaze King goes above and beyond to make sure customers are happy. Most all of the time it goes unnoticed by most. I've seen it many times. Blaze King and Woodstock are industry leaders in customer service.

 

[smokedragon]

I would agree with that. I was completely opposed to a catalytic stove, and after a lot of reading, my two choices were blaze king and woodstock. If blaze king offered something between the princess and the king in size, it would have made my choice harder. Or if I could get the king with a 6" flue collar