Buck stove vs empire vs big box store wood stove

[OzarkGirl]

I am trying to figure out what brand and model wood burning stove to get for my newly built steel frame 1800 sq ft barndominimum home. Metal exterior with metal roof and spray foam insulation.
I live in north central Arkansas in the US so we have slightly mild winters but we can get nasty ice storms in February. The home is a single story, 14' ceiling, large open concept living room kitchen area, stained concrete floors.
The wood burning stove will mainly be used for fall/winter weekend burning/ambiance but also want it to perform if/when we lose power as we live on the White River (not a very big town and if roads are bad, may be without power for days).
I have zero experience with a wood stove or any heat source other than the typical forced air ac/heat furnace that has always been installed in my homes. After reading some of the posts on here I almost feel like this is a whole new world and you need some sort of masters degree in fire science to own and operate a stove. Am I in over my head? Is this something that is going to be a hassle just to have "in case of emergency"?

I assumed I would just buy a wood stove from the big box store in the next town over but someone told me they don't last. What does that mean?
So I was referred to a Buck stove, osburn or Vermont Castings. VC seemed the most expensive and I am definitely a bargain shopper that doesn't need all the bells and whistles. I also read that cast iron takes a long time to heat up. So if I am mainly just using it for the weekend, maybe cast iron is not the way to go for a quick heat? What am I supposed to be looking for?
I understand pipe and install is an additional expense but I'm able to spend around $2500-$3000 for the stove alone. Is that even getting me a good stove?

Someone please help me figure out if I should do this or just scrap the whole idea and wear long underwear, hoodies and watch the yule log on youtube all winter long.

Thanks for any tips you can give me. Again, anything helps as I have no knowledge of what I'm getting into.

 

[begreen]

If you are a bargain shopper, look at the Drolet line of stoves. They are by the same company as Osburn, as their value line, but they are good reliable stoves. Depending on the size needed the savings can be notable.

Note that any stove will need dry, fully seasoned firewood to operate properly. Poorly seasoned wood causing poor heat and stove perfomance is the number one issue reported, especially for 1st time stove owners.