Cat or no Cat? RegencyF2400/Blaze King Princess/P.E.Super27 ???

[88gmc1]

I am replacing my Fisher PaPa Bear and have narrowed it down to Regency F2400/ Blaze King Princess / and the P.E. Super 27 but need some input from you people.
The obvious is Cat Vs. no Cat.
Then there are the options such as ash drawers with different clean out doors (lift vs. trap door) legs/ doors etc.
Blowers,airmates etc. (are they worth it?)
Extended burn time claimed by Blaze King (up to 20 hrs.?) fire box size ,
and of course durability and warranty company support (limited vs, limited lifetime, prorated etc.)
Price wise they are all within a few hundred $$ of each other depending on door and leg styles, and when you spread that out over the life of the stove it isn't that big of a deal.
so out of these three stoves which one would YOU choose????
I am just looking for some real world experiences and not the opinion of a sales person that heats with electric base boards.
thanks in advance for your thoughts and opinions

 

[begreen]

Welcome GMC. Can you give us some info on the region you live in and what the stove is heating? All the stoves mentioned are good. I don't think you would go wrong with any of them.

 

[Todd]

Well, I'm a cat fan so I pick the Blaze King. I like the long slow even burns I get from mine.

 

[North of 60]

Need I say more. ;-P
Oh ya Question on the fans/blowers. BKs Have dual axial propeller fans. Which means they are of the positive displacement family. They move lots of air & work well in that cold weather. They are temp activated and variable speed. What ever ya choose enjoy & Welcome

P.S. Let us Know where you are from.

 

[elkimmeg]

I have to ask this question the Papa bear is a beast of a stove weigh over 600 lbs produces a ton of heat but it is asmoke dragon

then why are you asking about mid range capacities stoves

 

[88gmc1]

Thanks for the quick response, and I will try to answer your questions here
we live in eastern Ontario outside of Ottawa.
we are (my wife has decided to refurb the basement) and wants a stove that she can see the fire in
I am replacing the PaPa bear with a "mid sized stove" as that is what all 4 stove stores advised as they said it would provide enough heat to warm the house we are in. two stores sent out techs to have a look at the set up of the house for the chimney air flow and draft. the med. stove was what they all came up with. House is approx. 1200 sq ft main floor, stove in basement bottom of stairs center of house.
Yes the PaPa bear throws a ton of heat and that was never more evident than back in the ice storm of 1998 when the army went door to door checkig on the welfare of the country folk -27C and they were greeted at the door by my rug rat bare foot and in shorts. (they came in to visit and warm up)
I enjoy getting out to cut wood as I have free roam of a 100 acre wood lot and can't keep up to the dead fall. but if I can get away with less cutting and hauling ....well that is a good thing too as the papa bear destroys my wood pile each year ....longer burns and less wood were promised with the newer stoves as well.
I hope this answers your questions. all the stoves I mentioned seem good I just do not see many cat stoves in my area and reading about user error etc. long term cost etc. is what I am interested in and of course the best stove for my $$$$$$
Thanks again

 

[titan]

Last year I considered buying a Blaze King, but decided on a non-cat this time around for ease of use.I figured,the simplest stove to operate is the one the wife would be tempted to keep burning if I'm away from home.I was going to buy the P.E. Spectrum until I got a killer deal on my F2400M.This is a biased opinion, but I don't believe anyone makes a more durable,well-built,easy to operate woodstove than Pacific Energy or Regency.

 

[Rhone]

Well, this is just my opinion. You mentioned you want to watch the fire and that to me puts the secondary burn units over cat stoves. Watching secondary burn is like fireworks, waves of oranges, purples, blues, with sparkles I've had my secondary burn unit for 3 seasons now and still can't wait to go home, start a fire, open a beer, and watch the secondary burn to start happening. It definetely has ooh and aaah factor or my brain is simple and easily amused for hours on end. If you won't be watching the fire I give the edge towards cat stoves. Blaze Kings comment of 20 hours with a 2.8 cu ft firebox they must've copied and pasted that from a pellet stove advertisement that's bogus. A 2.8 cu ft firebox will only give around 8-9 hour burns, if you're lucky maybe 10. The Regency has a 2.3 cu ft firebox whereas the PE has 2.0, but the PE has better build quality. Honestly I'd get the one I liked the look of most.

As for ash pans, I don't like them as they're a common place gaskets fail, or air leaks happen, or ash/wood gets in the way and they don't close tight and uncontrolled burns happen. Plus, some say with a bed of ash their units burn noticeably better (mine doesn't). I think blowers are awesome, most who have blowers on their units I find will never be without them (myself included).

 

[webbie]

Overnight burns must also be taken into account - in my opinion, that means stepping up one size in the non-cats....to say 3 cf or larger. The Blaze will definitely do the job with the same 2.8....with a longer burn.

Sounds like you have lots of wood - other questions would be if you are 24-7 burners, etc,

I can honestly say I like a LOT of various woodstove models, but if I had no other heat in my house and wanted a really long burn, those large firebox BK's would look good. Most people are not in this position, so they burn something which fits their own use patterns.

Woodstock? A little more expensive, but I think folks claim long even burns.......

A number of the newer downdraft models (Avalon, Harman, VC Defiant Non cat) should also be in the running.

 

[88gmc1]

again thanks for the replies,
I went out shopping again today and asked the operators of the store straight up what they use and why, and very honest they were. they live in a 100 yr. old 3000 sq. ft. brick farm house out in the middle of a wind swept field. they are gone for long periods of time therefore use the large BK. I was informed that burning with the CAT takes some getting used to and the PE and Regency are more forgiving.
They even went to the effort to call this evening to answer anymore questions I may have had.
Given the size of my house and burning habits he would shy away from selling me the BK, he advised the F3100 Regency may be better suited for my needs quoting vermiculite baffels stainless tubes "THE BEST WARRANTY IN THE BUISNESS" and the list goes on. I did notice some small things like heavier hinges etc. on the Regency. I do not know if I would get used to the little clean out trap door gizmo, Big 'ol shovel and steel bucket for me.
So I am narrowing it down to Regency and BK based on ease of operation, maintenance, warranty,burn times and not to be left out, value for my dollar (price)
So please keep posting your replies, personal experiences and opinions on this topic, I am learning a great deal from all the posts.
Thanks

 

[titan]

You also won't warp the 1" thick vermiculite baffles as compared to a stainless baffle. ;-)

 

[titan]

You also won't warp the 1" thick vermiculite baffles as compared to a thin stainless steel baffle. ;-)
whoops.

 

[Jfk4th]

I was thinking about the PE Super 27 and I went with the Summit (I originally had an Avalon Pendelton) with the ash pan and the blower (gold trim too). I also have a Quadra-Fire 5100 in my Living Room. The beauty of the Summit is the EBT, extended burn technology which is basically a heat sensor that opens up the stove a little when it needs to. Long story short, no more left over wood in the morning. This is a beautiful thing and anyone that does not have EBT does not really know what they are missing. This feature is only found on the PE Summit, not the smaller ones. I was originally told by 3 stores the Avalon Pendelton was big enough for my Florida room, all three were wrong. The combination of the small firebox and short burn times made me very frustrated with that stove!
I would go with Pacific Energy, at least the 27 but why not get the Summit. You can always do what I do and when the stove reaches a good temp, shut the stove down(close the damper all the way to "L") and let the EBT do the work. This way you won't get cooked out of your house and you can see the beautiful secondary burns. Having a nice large firebox is a wonderful thing, plus the ash pan is a nice feature. I know some don't like the ash pan but it really keeps the room from getting ash dust everywhere.
Summit stoves might not look as good as the other stoves (Unless you get it in Whore-house red.....) but the heat it pumps out is tremendous and with practice you will get very long burn times if you want.
Just make sure you get at least 15 feet of chimney pipe installed from the top of the stove, with a big stove you need a good draft

I paid 2,100 for the Summit, gold trim, ash pan, and blower. A very good deal in April 2007.
Good Luck

 

[BrotherBart]

You also won't warp the 1" thick vermiculite baffles as compared to a thin stainless steel baffle. ;-)
whoops.

And won't need a case of baffle gaskets in the closet.

The devil made me say that. :coolsmile:

 

[88gmc1]

Yes the sales rep./owner did mention the stainless baffels on the PE do warp,
I did not want to be the first one to mention it in fear of P.O. any PE owners

 

[BrotherBart]

Yes the sales rep./owner did mention the stainless baffels on the PE do warp,
I did not want to be the first one to mention it in fear of P.O. any PE owners

I understand. I am very considerate of the feelings of Summit owners myself. Humble bunch that they are.

 

[elkimmeg]

what if you could save some money get one of the cleanest large burning 3.4 cu ft fire box stoves.? . A stove that made the EPA top 10 list for its clean burning.

real customer support on the end of you phone not some call center but a real tech. What if you could buy one of the cleanest large fire box stove and get the most BTUs for the buck?

There are Members here that can confirm burn time using their stoves from personal experiences.. Hell it produce so much heat ,Al gore mentioned them as possible culprits causing global

warming.. Looking to the south tonight, it either the aurora borialis or my buddies firing of their stoves. There seems to be a glow in the southern skies. Santa clause used to be snow white till he turned cherry red in VA., when he landed on one of their roofs

 

[BrotherBart]

But Elk, it doesn't have enough "Bling".

 

[Hogwildz]

My Summit baffle is holding up just fine, it was the top s.s. plate over the insulation that bowed some. Not really a factor. Of course I had to straighten it.
I enjoy the fact that my baffle has a lifetime warranty. Bash all ya want. I love my stove, and ain't nuttin wrong with that,
I'd also like to add, no bling here, its pretty plain jane, which is fine by me. All metllic black finish.

 

[elkimmeg]

But Elk, it doesn't have enough "Bling".

Sheeesh!! whispering in your ear, we could raise the price pocket the difference and he would think he bought designer stove

Here is the plan we tell him the price is 50% more. Then discount that price 20%. He feels he is getting a bargain, we pocket the difference

He still gets a quality clean burning stove. It no different than gm selling a hummer on a standard 3/4 tone truck chaise with a chevy trans and motor. Works for them,
Lets make it work for us May be we could cook up a designer label and scotch tape it to the viewing window.

 

[BrotherBart]

But Elk, it doesn't have enough "Bling".

Sheeesh!! whispering in your ear, we could raise the price pocket the difference and he would think he bought designer stove

Here is the plan we tell him the price is 50% more. Then discount that price 20%. He feels he is getting a bargain, we pocket the difference

He still gets a quality clean burning stove. It no different than gm selling a hummer on a standard 3/4 tone truck chaise with a chevy trans and motor. Works for them,
Lets make it work for us May be we could cook up a designer label and scotch tape it to the viewing window.

I'm thinking get we VC to cast us some gargoyles to stick on the sides.

 

[elkimmeg]

Hell that's not out of the equation, VC already supplies their castings.

If we only had inside engineering contact to design the castings. a merc is a glorified Ford

Hell VC does this already. They take the century model attach a cast iron door and call it a Dutchwest

 

[North of 60]

Well, this is just my opinion. You mentioned you want to watch the fire and that to me puts the secondary burn units over cat stoves. Watching secondary burn is like fireworks, waves of oranges, purples, blues, with sparkles I've had my secondary burn unit for 3 seasons now and still can't wait to go home, start a fire, open a beer, and watch the secondary burn to start happening. It definetely has ooh and aaah factor or my brain is simple and easily amused for hours on end. If you won't be watching the fire I give the edge towards cat stoves. Blaze Kings comment of 20 hours with a 2.8 cu ft firebox they must've copied and pasted that from a pellet stove advertisement that's bogus. A 2.8 cu ft firebox will only give around 8-9 hour burns, if you're lucky maybe 10. The Regency has a 2.3 cu ft firebox whereas the PE has 2.0, but the PE has better build quality. Honestly I'd get the one I liked the look of most.

Id like to thank you for informing me I have been dealing with a mirage the past years. Ill have to remind myself every 8-9 hours to ignore my half full fire box and cram some more in. I appreciate reading peoples comment's when there ASSumption arnt even close.(just my opinion) Are you telling me a PE would only burn for 6-7hrs then. Every one that has a PE must be seeing a mirage too. But what do I know it doesn't get cold here. :coolsmirk: Heating isnt really that important to me. I dont really need to pay attention to my stove. Its just a novelty. @ -50 C or F you can see heat waves from a raven breathing. Thats not a mirage. Get my drift! Write about things you do know...OR say you think...

 

[Gunner]

Ya, the 6400btu/hr you get on a low 20hr burn must be blasting you out of the broom closet. :roll:

 

[Hogwildz]

Actually 1/2 dozen gaskets about $18 or $20, but that will get ya minimal 3 yrs or more. $6 or $7 bucks ain't bad for me. And I did get a learning experience and chance take her out and check it out.