Back in February, forumgoers here helped me suss out which SBI stove to get. It was a real PITA to cure the paint. Took weeks of crazy hot burns. But we've been burning it nonstop since. Here's the weather for the second day of summer and our comfort fire. I imagine you're all in flippy-floppies and shorts! 
It's easy to load on my old knees and looks great. Starts easily and burns clean even though I mostly burn Shore Pine. I still prefer N/S loaders, but I've adapted. I don't get as many BTUs out of it as I did from our 1989 Pacific Energy Spectrum and it has to work harder to heat the house and use more wood. This stove has WAY more air intake control and even with my 25' Class A, I can get the fire pretty much where I want it as long as I don't overload it. No damper needed! Our old PE couldn't control the fire at all, which is why we upgraded.
I ordered through Costco and delivery was a nightmare. The guy couldn't get to our driveway. He wouldn't even come down our road, which is a nice, paved state highway because he couldn't see an obvious turnaround on a map. I went and met him at dusk at a poorly lit public park in the next town over and loaded it into my firewood trailer and had to unload it by myself with an engine crane in the gloaming and rain. It felt like a drug deal, lol.
I'd definitely recommend the stove to anybody considering one! ...but not my local LTL freight company, lol.
Anyway, thanks for the advice everybody! Happy Summer!
![[Hearth.com] Drolet Alto Deco: How it's going.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/1000004482-webp.339237/ "[Hearth.com] Drolet Alto Deco: How it's going.")
![[Hearth.com] Drolet Alto Deco: How it's going.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/1000004483-webp.339238/ "[Hearth.com] Drolet Alto Deco: How it's going.")
It's easy to load on my old knees and looks great. Starts easily and burns clean even though I mostly burn Shore Pine. I still prefer N/S loaders, but I've adapted. I don't get as many BTUs out of it as I did from our 1989 Pacific Energy Spectrum and it has to work harder to heat the house and use more wood. This stove has WAY more air intake control and even with my 25' Class A, I can get the fire pretty much where I want it as long as I don't overload it. No damper needed! Our old PE couldn't control the fire at all, which is why we upgraded.
I ordered through Costco and delivery was a nightmare. The guy couldn't get to our driveway. He wouldn't even come down our road, which is a nice, paved state highway because he couldn't see an obvious turnaround on a map. I went and met him at dusk at a poorly lit public park in the next town over and loaded it into my firewood trailer and had to unload it by myself with an engine crane in the gloaming and rain. It felt like a drug deal, lol.
I'd definitely recommend the stove to anybody considering one! ...but not my local LTL freight company, lol.
Anyway, thanks for the advice everybody! Happy Summer!
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