Consensus best quality small stove?

[philNC]

Is there a consensus on the best-made smaller stove? Building a 16x24 woodshop with 15' gable ceiling, will be relatively well insulated (central NC). I had my heart set on Jotul F602, which is available from local dealer for about $1400.

However, I see complaints about Jotuls being problematic. On the other hand, I know that happens with anything.

Is there a stove in this size range that is known to be very well made? I'm also not that worried about overheating the space...I can just open the door.

It WOULD be nice to have fresh air intake, but not really required.

Any thoughts? Thanks. Mods, I'm sorry if this is redundant...please feel free to delete.

 

[Todd]

My 602 seems very well built and Jotul claims it’s the most sold stove in the world. Morso also has some very good small stoves. Many small steel stoves out there as well that may be a few hundred dollars cheaper like Drolet.

 

[philNC]

My 602 seems very well built and Jotul claims it’s the most sold stove in the world. Morso also has some very good small stoves. Many small steel stoves out there as well that may be a few hundred dollars cheaper like Drolet.

My house is heated with a Drolet 1800 insert, which I like a lot. Since this shop will only need a small stove, I was dreaming of a compact cast iron one of very high quality.

 

[bholler]

Is there a consensus on the best-made smaller stove? Building a 16x24 woodshop with 15' gable ceiling, will be relatively well insulated (central NC). I had my heart set on Jotul F602, which is available from local dealer for about $1400.

However, I see complaints about Jotuls being problematic. On the other hand, I know that happens with anything.

Is there a stove in this size range that is known to be very well made? I'm also not that worried about overheating the space...I can just open the door.

It WOULD be nice to have fresh air intake, but not really required.

Any thoughts? Thanks. Mods, I'm sorry if this is redundant...please feel free to delete.

In general jotuls are very high quality and reliable. I would check with local authorities about putting a stove in a wood shop. It is not allowed by many jurisdictions.

 

[philNC]

In general jotuls are very high quality and reliable. I would check with local authorities about putting a stove in a wood shop. It is not allowed by many jurisdictions.

I'll check with the city...the building permit is in the works and electrical and mechanical (wood stove) will be permitted separately...trying to do everything above board because the building contents will be significantly valuable.

 

[bholler]

I'll check with the city...the building permit is in the works and electrical and mechanical (wood stove) will be permitted separately...trying to do everything above board because the building contents will be significantly valuable.

Solid fuel burners in woodshops is not against national code the way they are in garages. And many places do allow them. But it's always best to check.

 

[philNC]

Solid fuel burners in woodshops is not against national code the way they are in garages. And many places do allow them. But it's always best to check.

Understood...will do.

Do you have an opinion about VC Aspen vs F602? There are good dealers for both here although availability probably a toss-up...Aspen shows as temporarily unavailable on VC site...F602 dealer said would take ~8 months to ship

 

[bholler]

Understood...will do.

Do you have an opinion about VC Aspen vs F602? There are good dealers for both here although availability probably a toss-up...Aspen shows as temporarily unavailable on VC site...F602 dealer said would take ~8 months to ship

I would choose the jotul

 

[wjohn]

Both the Jotul F 602 V2 and the Morso 2B seem to have good reputations. I was looking at this size range and ended up getting a Vermont Castings Aspen C3 last fall and have been happy with it so far, but I think the Jotul and Morso are probably a more reliable bet as far as quality goes. The jury's still out on VC at this point with newer ownership, and you're not getting one unless you find one in stock at a dealer as they've had some issue and haven't been able to manufacture new ones for a couple of months now. At the time I was looking the Jotul was 8+ weeks out and was not efficient enough for the tax credit, and the nearest Morso dealer was 4 hours away. I did also like the larger firebox of the Aspen C3 over the other two.

The Morso 2B is the most efficient and would also qualify for the tax credit vs. the Jotul, but I think the credit is only for a residence, not something like a shop (worth double checking if you haven't already). Either should be a nice little stove for that size of shop. What will be nice is you can load the thing full of wood in the morning to get your shop up to a comfortable temp and then probably ride it out for a long time with the coals just burning way down, and have plenty of heat for that size of building.

 

[mikey]

Back to the future, owned many stoves over 50 years cats, soap stone, cast iron, steel, wood and coal now I’m going back to where I started a small box stove. Early on I owned two box stoves a Reginald and a Waterford both Jotul 602 knock offs early air tight stoves with a baffl. I just got a new jotul 602 v2 and can’t wait to fire it up, if you need a small stove think about the 602, less is more.

 

[EbS-P]

Tax credit on the 2b install would be my choice. Are you installing AC for summer humidity control? My dad just built a shop a bit smaller than yours. He did a mini split. It’s super nice to walk in the the summer to a dry space as he keeps it set to dehumidification mode which keeps it under 80 even in July and august. Just a thought I might not want to loose that much space in a small shop. If you want ac and humidity control I see the woodstove as redundant and not really needed. Save the extra money and put it towards something else like really good filtration/dust collection or a paint/finishing booth.

 

[Mainely Saws]

In our town any building with a door large enough to drive a vehicle in and out is considered a garage and wood stoves are not permitted . Also ,even if a wood stove meets code, insurance companies may not want to insure the space . I have a shop the same size as yours ( 16' x 24' ) and for convenience ,space and the ability to heat it up quickly I chose an automated ,thermostatically controlled heat. I understand that you may have an abundance of free wood , scraps etc. which may affect your decision..

 

[begreen]

Best quality is a somewhat ambiguous term and often different from best value. What are you actually looking for, best quality cost no object, or best good stove at a reasonable cost? If the first option then a used Rais stove might be worth seeking out. Otherwise the small Jotul, Morso, Lopi Answer, Aspen C3, PE Vista, Drolet or Osburn 1700 would work.