ECO-65 vs PP130

[Whiteg]

Hi All,
Newbie here - Nice site you've got here...blown away by all the info. I only wish I had time to read through it all. I've been sifting through postings focusing on the ECO-65 or the PP130, but would love to hear from somebody who's also considered them and made a decision.
I'm currently a wood burner and burning a cord/month ($200 per cd) of hardwood, been doing so for 11 years. The stove I have is an old Lakewood firebox with no bells/whistles, just two doors and a hole in the top. For personal reasons, I've decided to switch over to pellets and was about to pull the trigger on an ECO-65. I'm a firm believer in "get what you pay for", so I was purposely purposely avoiding the Home Depot "cheapies". Now I'm reconsidering after seeing a few favourable reviews, even though the BTUs are lower. Anyway, I thought someone here might have some advice to offer based on these points:
1) My house is 1250 sq ft with a 750 sq ft finished basement. It is well insulated but not an open concept. I'm a fan of the duct idea found on the ECO65 but is it necessary? My woodstove did a good job without ducting, and the pellet stove will sit in the same place.
2) The house needs to be about 70'F between 2PM to 11PM most days, otherwise it can be lower because nobody's home (except for the morning chaos of getting ready for work, school)
3) I'm not afraid of thermostat automation, but I don't mind having to manually control it. It seems like the ECO65 has more automation ability but the reviews on the pp130 suggest it does a good job using it's built in controller.
4) I'm located in Atlantic Canada, where temperatures can vary but can range typically around 14'f throughout the winter.
5) Is it worth an extra $1000 purchase cost for the drolet?
Thanks

 

[Whiteg]

Bump

 

[MacGyver]

I'm looking at getting the ducting done myself after my first year with the Eco 65. My case is different however as my place is not well insulated and my basement is unfinished. I struggled getting heat upstairs last winter.

 

[hyfire]

The new drolet eco 65 looks like a better designed product than the older version, you would have to see how others are liking the new design. Whatever, you go with make sure you have lots of vertical rise to prevent a backdraft during a power outage.

 

[Darren111]

We've had our eco 65 in for about 3 weeks now. Love it. Also a wood burner here for the last 20 years or so lol. The convenience of the pellets far outweigh the price saving on the furnace wood.
We have an old farmhouse with unfinished basement so located the stove mid house on the main floor and having no issues with heat travelling upstairs so far. House is about 2000 sq.ft.
Waiting to see how it fairs during Jan/Feb and have a gew cord of furnace wood in the basement, just in case.
Also in Atlantic Canada here. Right on the Nova Scotia/New Brunswick border.

 

[Wessty]

We've had our new Eco-65 running fulltime for two weeks. It heats a 1500 ft/sq single storey open concept. At 0°C it runs on the lowest setting and keeps the house at 25°C using LG premium softwwod pellets. It took 20 bags of pellets to create enough ash to fill the ash pan. Minor cleanings take about ten minutes, if I just clean the burn pot and wipe the door glass. If you have a BMR building supply in your area they are on for $2350 CAD, or Home Hardware has them for $2559 CAD.

 

[MacGyver]

We've had our new Eco-65 running fulltime for two weeks. It heats a 1500 ft/sq single storey open concept. At 0°C it runs on the lowest setting and keeps the house at 25°C using LG premium softwwod pellets. It took 20 bags of pellets to create enough ash to fill the ash pan. Minor cleanings take about ten minutes, if I just clean the burn pot and wipe the door glass. If you have a BMR building supply in your area they are on for $2350 CAD, or Home Hardware has them for $2559 CAD.

If you bring a flyer, most Home Hardware's WILL price match. That's how I got mine at a good rate.