Final Decision: Osburn, Harman, DutchWest, Jotul, Vermont Castings

[firefighterjake]

Granted I haven't been around here for that long (joined in July 2008), but I can't recall reading any reports of Jotuls and cracking issues . . . there were some threads about PEs and cracks . . . but it seemed as though PE was fixing that issue.

 

[firefighterjake]

I am sure there is a thread or two buried in the archives about a crack in a Jotul. Almost all of these posts were at the bottom grate or in the surrounding base. They either had a leak at the ash pan gasket or were regularly using the ash pan door to start the fire in spite of stern warnings in the manual no to do this.

In general the reports of issues with the Jotuls are low. There was an issue with the air slider sticking on some F400 and F500s. But generally they are a simple, trouble free stove. You'll find that many folks come here to report or to find information on a problem they are having. What we don't hear are the thousands of happy customers that own the same stove or insert.

Hmmm . . . OK, well you can put me down as the first to say I am a very happy customer that loves his Jotul Oslo . . . now if another 999 Jotul Oslo owners would chime in here.

 

[Northernliving]

I'm also looking for a new stove that will stand inside/in front of my fireplace. I'm not new to heating with wood, but I haven't owned a stove in a while. My previous stove was the largest VC Dutchwest Federal Airtight. I purchased it in 1990 (just after VC purchased DW) and gave it to my dad a few years later when I moved from Boston to South Carolina. He has used it flawlessly in his house in Maine since. Just replaced the cat last week after about 30 cord and 20 years.

So a little about my situation. Moved back North in 2002 and built a very open 3500sq ft (now 7 year old) colonial type house in the Boston area on a 20 acre wooded parcel. Family room in the back (with FP on back side of the wall), with shed/cathedral ceiling to cat-walk in center of house with an two story open foyer. Four bedrooms; two on each side of the cat-walk. A perfect house for heating with a wood stove since it is so open with all 9ft ceilings. FP dimensions are 36W x 32H with an oversize floor level hearth. Could also do an insert, but think that a free standing might heat more effectively and look nicer. This is our main living area, so esthetics are important.

I really like the look of the Jotul F500 and Harman Oakwood. I want the look of a classic wood stove and don't really care for a pedestal. I'd like to be able to view the fire burning and would really rather a top load, but a right side would be okay. I would appreciate thoughts on stoves given these considerations. Would also like thoughts on cat vs non cat.

Great forum. Many thanks.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I'm also looking for a new stove that will stand inside/in front of my fireplace. I'm not new to heating with wood, but I haven't owned a stove in a while. My previous stove was the largest VC Dutchwest Federal Airtight. I purchased it in 1990 (just after VC purchased DW) and gave it to my dad a few years later when I moved from Boston to South Carolina. He has used it flawlessly in his house in Maine since. Just replaced the cat last week after about 30 cord and 20 years.

So a little about my situation. Moved back North in 2002 and built a very open 3500sq ft (now 7 year old) colonial type house in the Boston area on a 20 acre wooded parcel. Family room in the back (with FP on back side of the wall), with shed/cathedral ceiling to cat-walk in center of house with an two story open foyer. Four bedrooms; two on each side of the cat-walk. A perfect house for heating with a wood stove since it is so open with all 9ft ceilings. FP dimensions are 36W x 32H with an oversize floor level hearth. Could also do an insert, but think that a free standing might heat more effectively and look nicer. This is our main living area, so esthetics are important.

I really like the look of the Jotul F500 and Harman Oakwood. I want the look of a classic wood stove and don't really care for a pedestal. I'd like to be able to view the fire burning and would really rather a top load, but a right side would be okay. I would appreciate thoughts on stoves given these considerations. Would also like thoughts on cat vs non cat.

Great forum. Many thanks.

Nearly every new stove on the market today gives the ability to view the fire. If you are going with a cast iron stove than the only cat that is available is through Vermont Castings and I would not purchase one at this point (build quality, customer service, replacement parts are all dodgy). At 3,500 sq ft and an open layout I would go with a Jotul F600 over the F500. (neither offer top loading, though)

Other stoves to look at that have the classic look that you mentioned:
Quadrafire Isle Royle: Classic looks, as large as the Jotul F600 and it offers top loading
(broken link removed to http://www.quadrafire.com/Products/Wood_Burning/Wood_Model.asp?f=IsleRoyale)

Pacific Energy T6: Not a top loader, but it is large.
(broken link removed to http://www.pacificenergy.net/product_alderleaT6.php)

Not necessarily 'classic looks' but still traditional looking:
Heathstone Equinox: Big bastard. Side loader. Soapstone (some like them, some do not)
(broken link removed to http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/wood-stoves/stove-details?product_id=1)

Steel Stoves:
Pacific Energy Summit
(broken link removed to http://www.pacificenergy.net/product_summit_classic.php)

Quadrafire 5700 Step Top
(broken link removed to http://www.quadrafire.com/Products/Wood_Burning/Wood_Model.asp?f=5700)

Country Flame/Magnum BBF: Catalytic steel stove:
(broken link removed to http://www.americanenergysystems.com/model-bbf.cfm)

Blaze King King model: Big stove. Catalytic. Ridiculously long burn times. It has a face for radio, though. But, if you are okay with the looks everyone on this forum that owns one raves about the stoves.
(broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/wood-stoves.html)

There are more options than that, but this is a hell of a starting point.

 

[Clodhopper]

I like my oslo so much I just bought a second one to install in another part of the house.

 

[Blue_Tractor_Man]

We've been using a Vermont Castings Defiant non-cat for about 6 months and are very pleased with it. Works like a champ. Easy to use, glass stays pretty clean, puts out plenty of heat, looks nice to boot.

We have not needed nay parts, so I can't comment on availability.

 

[Ductape]

We've been using a Vermont Castings Defiant non-cat for about 6 months and are very pleased with it. Works like a champ. Easy to use, glass stays pretty clean, puts out plenty of heat, looks nice to boot.

We have not needed nay parts, so I can't comment on availability.

Same stove we have. Ours is about three years old....... no problems other than a visible crack has appeared in the refractory fireback this year. Even if i order a new fireback, I forsee me putting some Rutland cement on the crack in the spring and continue to run it. Really a minor issue at this point, considering we run the crap out of the stove all winter heating our drafty, largely uninsulated 1880's house. One thing i couldn't live without is the top loading feature, since this is our second top loading VC stove. With all the Vermont Castings bashing on this forum, I'm always waiting for the day my stove implodes and burns itself through the floor and into the crawlspace ! :roll: :roll:

Until then, I'll just keep roasting myself with my Defiant.

 

[Ductape]

jotul,s have had a lot a reports of cracks lately, search here jotul crack

There has been discussion on cracking Jotuls over on AS , i think in the heating with wood section. As was mentioned...... I think more due to operators cracking the ash pan door to get a fire going, than anything else.

 

[firefighterjake]

I'm also looking for a new stove that will stand inside/in front of my fireplace. I'm not new to heating with wood, but I haven't owned a stove in a while. My previous stove was the largest VC Dutchwest Federal Airtight. I purchased it in 1990 (just after VC purchased DW) and gave it to my dad a few years later when I moved from Boston to South Carolina. He has used it flawlessly in his house in Maine since. Just replaced the cat last week after about 30 cord and 20 years.

So a little about my situation. Moved back North in 2002 and built a very open 3500sq ft (now 7 year old) colonial type house in the Boston area on a 20 acre wooded parcel. Family room in the back (with FP on back side of the wall), with shed/cathedral ceiling to cat-walk in center of house with an two story open foyer. Four bedrooms; two on each side of the cat-walk. A perfect house for heating with a wood stove since it is so open with all 9ft ceilings. Uh, I might disagree with you . . . open lay out is good, but due to the size of your house and tall ceilings and cathedral ceiling I would say this house is far from being the perfect house . . . not to debate too much, but I would think a perfect house for a woodstove would have lower ceilings and not have any cathedral ceilings, the home would be smaller in size, single story or 2-story but in a basic square or rectangle shape, well insulated and have a lay-out so that it could have an interior chimney and the stove would be placed as central to the home as possible . . . while remaining in the area most frequently used by the occupants when home (i.e. family room or living room.) That said, it might be challenging to heat this large of a home with a single woodstove, but you could certainly get a woodstove to heat up the family room and adjacent rooms. FP dimensions are 36W x 32H with an oversize floor level hearth. Could also do an insert, but think that a free standing might heat more effectively and look nicer. This is our main living area, so esthetics are important. I agree . . . to a point . . . I kind of like the flush lines of an insert with existing fireplaces, but in terms of heating more effectively think a free standing stove would be a better choice . . . not to mention not needing electricity to power a blower to move the heated air out of the fireplace.
I really like the look of the Jotul F500 and Harman Oakwood. I want the look of a classic wood stove and don't really care for a pedestal. I'd like to be able to view the fire burning and would really rather a top load, but a right side would be okay. I would appreciate thoughts on stoves given these considerations. Would also like thoughts on cat vs non cat. If you're just trying to heat the immediate area these two stoves might work . . . but again . . . I believe there are few, if any, stoves that would heat your entire home based on what you have described here . . . if you were to try heating the whole home I would go with the true big guns when it comes to burning . . . in the Jotul line up go up to the F-600 . . . I would even suggest a Blaze King . . . but you mention styling . . . and the BK's style is certainly not for everyone . . . I know that I can't get over just how fugly this stove is. Honestly, if I had a house as described I would like to have a small woodstove to heat up the family area . . . and for the ambiance . . . but I would also (if I could swing it) install an indoor wood boiler or wood furnace to hook up to whatever system I currently heat with . . . assuming you are either using an oil or gas-fired water boiler with radiators or in-floor heating or furnace with ductwork and not electric heat.

Cat vs. Non-cat . . . at one time this would have been a real issue to me . . . now it would only make me stop to think a little bit . . . there are some pros- and cons- to both types . . . and the ease of use isn't one of those pros- or cons . . . for me it would boil down to how often I would want to have a slow-and-low burn, if I'm willing to pay for a replacement cat down the road but in return get some fantastically long burn times and low wood consumption rates and if I know my wood will be primo, well-seasoned wood year after year.

Great forum. Many thanks.

 

[PA Fire Bug]

We decided to go with the Pacific Energy Super 27. We like the look of the stove over the others that we considered. We had some concerns with the expense of the molded firebricks required by the Harman Oakwood and DutchWest. I also like that the baffles are protected with a steel plate to protect them from being damaged when the stove is loaded. The flue is ready, the fireproofing has been completed, the stove has been ordered and the weather is still below freezing. As soon as the stove arrives, I'll be ready to fire it up and get warm!