CAB50 vs 5660?

[pell it]

I have the opportunity to grab a CAB-50 at a really good price point. My question is whether the output with the "box" style heat exchanger will be the same as my current US Stove 5660 with the short tube exchanger? I have been running around 4 pounds per hour during the cold days with the dead dinosaurs helping a bit on the coldest mornings. (Maybe a sixteenth of a tank burnt) The cab can run up to 5.8 lbs per hr if needed so a bit of reserve there. The quad burnpot and three bag hopper are appealing and I can add some fins to the heat exchanger to extract more heat. Seems like a decent stove for the $$$.

 

[St_Earl]

i've been very happy with my PS50. now in the third season.
definitely reliable. and for my money, rugged.

i was getting 255f air temp running on high with not the very top shelf pellets.
temps are really hard to use as reference because all kinds of variables. but there was a thread with englander owners reporting similar temps.

you may also want to fab up the little collar for the oak.
the quad oak kit is one of the more expensive ones out there.

i had imagined doing the collar with a drill, hacksaw and some JB weld.
when i mentioned that, one fellow board member said that was exactly what he had done.
after that it's just auto part/ hardware store items for the kit.

sounds like you may have welding gear though if you plan on adding fins.

 

[pell it]

255 degrees seems reasonable given the size of the convection blower and the amount of air being moved at that temp. Is that measured with a thermocouple?

With my current stove I can get up around 300 but the room blower is only 160 cfm. That is measured with a five dollar harbor freight digital stick thermometer about an inch out from the exchanger tubes.

I also noticed that the oak kit was pricey. Glad to hear it can be done for less with some inginuity.

How is the cleaning regime?

 

[The Ds]

This is our 2nd full season with the PS50 {CAB50 with a 2 bag hopper} and we love it..Shut down once a day to pull the rod,clean the firebox when it looks like it needs it,and thats basically it when burning daily....we do a major cleaning{back panels out of firebox,clean the venting} in addition to the normal cleaning about every ton or so......Then at the end of the burn season,Repeat all cleaning mentioned earlier AND do the LBT{Leaf Blower Trick} -you can do a search here or on you tube and see it in action...Cant comment on the baffles{back panels} in the PS/CAB50 vs. the tubes in other stoves......I do know these stoves are advertised to burn at 85% efficiency,which I think is pretty good.......Keep us up to date on how you like it if you pull the trigger......

 

[saladdin]

3rd season also. Working like a top. No issues.

 

[St_Earl]

measured that with an oven thermometer suspended in the air path running on high.

the cleaning is super easy since there are no pesky heat exchange tubes.
just the three back baffle plates to take off. i do that every week or so.

 

[Nick of PA]

If you can get one at a good price I would probably go for it. My neighbor bought a (new) Englander 25-pah this year and after looking at my cab50 I think he kind of wishes he would have considered the cab50 for the price point as he paid the exact same for his stove as I did mine and the quality of the heatilator just seems better and more rugged. I like how there is only one gasket on the entire stove, the door. His Englander has one on the door as well as the ash pan, so there is just less to maintain.

 

[pell it]

The more I think about it, if I can seal the deal, I will get it.