Experience with Stuv Compact 30, 16H Cube or Rais Q-Tee?

[Mill Valley]

Hello! Looking for a minimalist EPA 2020 stove. Anyone have experience with Stuv or Rais above? Saw a couple of mentions but nothing significant. They're $$ but amortized over 20 years, it might be worth it if the quality is there.

We're removing our 1961 corner fireplace monstrosity (fireplace, hearth, everything) and are excited about regaining a good chunk of our living area. Looking to add a compact woodstove. Primary heat is a gas furnace but efficiency is still at the top of my list. We get lots of 50 degree blowing fog in the summers and I would love to light a fire on occasion without guilt.

Stuv 30 is interesting as it only needs 8" of clearance. Still, while a vertical, rotating stove is intriguing, we'd still have the same problem of the fire being directed out our sliding window vs. into our room. I love the look of our original fireplace but inefficiency aside, who's idea was to orient the entire thing out a window?!

Leaning towards the Rais Q-Tee with base even though that's about the worst product name ever. Thanks.

 

[begreen]

Have you looked at the MF Fire Nova? It's a minimalist design with some advanced tech achieving high efficiency.

Nova

Nova’s modern and contemporary design enables it to blend into any room. A small wood stove, Nova’s hides a sizable 1.7 CF firebox.

mffire.com

 

[Mill Valley]

Thanks @begreen . I had seen the Nova but this thread makes me shy away from stoves you can't adjust manually:

Stüv cube install - question regarding insulation under stove

I'm looking to get stüv-cube stove (yes stove, not insert) installed inside my fireplace - https://stuvamerica.com/en/ca/products/stuv-16 Probably the 16-68 as the 16-78 might not be sold in the US. Anyway, contacted a dealer and they said everything looks good except for one thing - they're...

www.hearth.com

Have you heard good reviews about how it performs in auto-mode?

Bigger picture, while the Nova is a bit less costly and accepts an 18" log vs. Rais 17" log, I still lean towards the Rais:
- MFFire is a new company. Will they be around in 10 years when I need a part?
- Nova looks a bit like a Q-Tee but it feels like US companies are just trying to emulate that euro look while missing the details. The Rais has a much larger viewing window and cleaner lines.
- Nova is rear exit only which means it would need to sit about 12" farther from the wall than a Rais.

In general, the Rais has much lower clearance requirements since it's constructed from two layers of steel, with an air gap in between meant to aide convection of hot air to heat the room.

Does anyone know if this works as advertised?

The Nova offers a blower option but there's no mention of how it operates or what it looks like (ditto outside air kit)

Thanks all

 

[begreen]

No problem. We have one Nova owner here that really likes their stove after going through a season with it. MF Fire is a new and innovative American company, but there is no crystal ball for how well it will stand up over time. Same for the company. The Rais stoves I have seen are good heaters. I am not familiar with the Q-tee, but the company has a good reputation. I do see that the Q-Tee has a 1.16 cu ft firebox, so I would classify it as a room heater and not much more. The Nova has about twice the fuel capacity for a longer burn time.

 

[moamick]

Not sure if you still need input. We have a Stuv 30 Compact and *love* it. Happy to share more of you are still looking for a stove.

 

[edouardp]

@moamick how do you like the Stuv Compact?