Deciding between Jotul F3 and Morso 2110

[jjf]

Have a 1100 sq. ft home in NC that I am in the process of adding a wood stove to. The house will also have central heat as well. I like the look of the F3 but have read some really horrible reviews about the quality of the new build stoves. Have seen only good things about the Morso and would love to hear other opinions.
TIA.

 

[begreen]

I've burned in both stoves. The Morso is a bit larger and will burn a bit longer. It is very nicely made. My only gripe is the split door and removable handle. That said I would not be worried too much about the build of the F3CB, it's a good solid stove. The air control and door hardware are not as nice as the nex size up F400, but it is a still a nice stove and has the benefit of getting in enamel. Ours was in blue-black enamel and a very nice looking stove.

 

[jjf]

Ok thanks. Have to wonder if there is some outsourcing going on that is making a once-great stove into a not so great stove. Does anyone know where the Morso stove is made now?

 

[begreen]

To my knowledge Morsøes have always been built in Denmark. Jotul has started shipping parts to Jotul Maine for assembly here. Jotul Maine already builds the cast-clad models (F45-F55), all gas units and the fireplaces so that is not really a production shortcut. It's more of a shipping efficiency move. The castings are still made in Norway, then flat shipped to the US and the assembly is done by Jotul North America. Given the volume of Jotul sales in the US (17,000 units per year), this makes good sense and employs more Americans.

 

[FishNChips]

I have a Morso 2110 - I have one season of experience with it (last year). I had a Jotul (F100) at my prior (smaller) house and really liked it. When I moved to a new house, I wanted a cast iron stove with a good viewing area and a nice look. I needed something bigger than a F100, so settled on the 2110. Overall, I like it. My only real complaint is with the design that draws exhaust smoke over the inside of the fire box and out, just over the door opening. I frequently get smoke coming out of the stove into the room when opening the doors to reload. Usually it's not too much, but depending upon conditions (wood dryness and ambient conditions such as outside air and wind), on occasion I have had bothersome amounts of smoke escape into the room. I think that the double door design may contribute to this somewhat (if even by reason of the extra time it takes to open and close the doors during smokey conditions).

Based on the looks and design of the stove, I'd probably buy it again, as it is a bit of a "design" feature in our house, being a focal point of the main kitchen/dining/living area. However, when I have the smoke-puffing issue, I sometimes wonder whether I wouldn't have been better off with a Jotul.

PS - the door opening lever is also squeaky. I tried some WD-40 on the mechanism, but the result was that the latch started to loosen and would threaten to open. So, now in order to retain the necessary friction for the latch to operate properly, I have had to settle for the squeakiness.