Hampton HI300 Insert Review

[ridensnow23]

We are well into our second season of burning a Hampton HI300, so I figured I would write a review in case anyone is considering one.

We bought the stove new from a local dealer in March of 2012. It was their floor model and they had it marked down 20% since it was the end of the season. I don't remember the exact price we paid, but I want to say it was a little less than $3000 out the door.

We went with the Timberline brown enamel coating. I'm glad that we went with the enamel because dust and ashed just wipe right off. We do have to be careful around it though because you can scratch, scuff, or chip the enamel. Fortunately that has not happened much at all, so it must be decently durable.

As far as looks go, it is a very nice looking insert.

The blower has a high and low setting. We almost always run it on low because it is very quiet. In fact, I find that sometimes I have to go over and put my hand in front of the vent to see if the blower has kicked on yet. The blower on high is pretty loud. The insert is in our living room, so we don't want that much noise.

I do have one considerable issue with my unit. I realized a little bit into the first season that the door was not quite right. On windy days, a downdraft would cause puffs of smoke to come of the door. I did the dollar bill test and found that I could easily slide the bill in behind the glass with the door latch.

I read the manual and followed the manufacturer's instructions to adjust the door latch to solve the leaky door issue. I kept removing the spacer washers, but was still able to slide the bill in with ease. It got to the point that I had removed so many spacers that I could not open/close the latch without muscling the heck out of it.

I pretty much took the whole thing apart and came to realize that the door was not straight. The top door hinge is welded to the outside of the burn box. The bottom hinge consists of a hinge pin that slides into a hole that is drilled on the flat behind the ash lip. The welded top hinge is out of alignment with the hole drilled in the bottom by 3/8"-1/4". Yikes.

I brought the issue up with the dealer. He came out again to adjust the door. Short story is that it didn't work. I emailed Hampton about the issue hoping that they could give me some insight on correcting the issue. Their response was that they forwarded my issue to a Hampton dealer in my area. I never heard from any Hampton dealers after that.

I took the issue up again with the dealer I bought the insert from. This time he offered to reinstall the seal on the door. He put the seal in thinner on top and "fluffy" on the bottom where the leak was. In the end, this solved the problem with the smoke puffs coming out, and I am not able to slide a dollar bill in anymore. However, the door latch still feels a bit off. I think it is affected by the door being out of vertical alignment.

All in all, the stove works well. We mainly just use the stove for supplemental heat in our living room/dining room/kitchen. It really warms the place up. I can load it up around 9-10pm and there are coals in the bottom to be able to get the next load started with around 6am. This stove is not going to win any contests for longest burn times though. If that is what you are looking for, then get a cat stove.

Overall, I would give my entire experience a B-/C+. I would consider getting this insert again, but I would be checking the door with a small level before I ever let them install. I'm disappointed that Hampton's Quality Insurance is lax enough to let a 1/4" alignment issue pass their final inspection. The insert only comes with a one year warranty, so I'm pretty sure that if I tried to take this up with them again now that they would tell me tough luck.

Feel free to ask me any questions you have.

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the report . This is a very good looking insert. I'm surprised that Regency was lax on the door issue. This happens from time to time and the dealer should respond quickly.

 

[cableman]

Im installing one for a friend once it comes in, thanks for the review! Ill have to keep my eye on the door, that would bother the heck out of me

 

[USMC80]

Sorry to hear about the door. Overall I love mine. Little bigger firebox would be nice though

 

[dawg1419]

Post up some pic if you can

 

[smmjam12]

Sorry to hear about the door. Second year with same insert, I love it. Although I have not had any problems with it, I think the door and latch are the weak points of the insert. I also agree its not going to win any awards for long burn times. Very dissapointed to hear how Regency treated you.

 

[velvetfoot]

Agreed about the door and latch. For whatever reason the door doesn't open more than 90 degrees, and the latch is needlessly complex, all for aesthetics, I'm sure. Otherwise, I love it.

 

[Enzo's Dad]

Funny about the door latch. Mine was also a floor model hampton h1300 and the door handle actually broke because it was so hard to close. I bought a new latch and it was completely different from the original. We called the factory and they told us they stopped making the latch I had and told us we had to buy spacers and more washers to make this one fit.
I had the same problems you are describing and then it broke. So far so good with the new latch but I think the older version was flawed because regency-hampton does not it as a replacement part. I posted a picture..the smaller latch is the newer one.

 

[velvetfoot]

Interesting....

 

[USMC80]

No problems here with latch or door. Feel very well made

 

[ridensnow23]

OK, pics are below. One is when it was not being used, and the other is last night when we were burning. I have a little clone running around, so we have the entire hearth gated off.

Enzo's Dad, my insert has the latch you had to replace. The issue I have is not with the latch though. My issue is with the hinges. Since they are not aligned from front to back, the door does not sit at 90 degrees. Instead, it is angled by one or two degrees from top to bottom in relation to the burn box. The result is that the top of the door is drawn in closer to the body whereas the bottom of the door is further our from the body. In fact, if you look at the insert from the side, you can see that the bottom of the door sticks out further than the side trim pieces.

 

[Enzo's Dad]

nice fire!.....

 

[STOVEGUY11]

I have sold hundreds of this model. And have had very few complaints over the years. I did see one, about 5 years ago with the same problem you are describing. I do not remember the outcome, but I do know Regency was able to get it resolved. I believe there may also be adjustment in the ash lip. The pin for the door passes through the ash lip. When your car breaks, you do not call Ford or General Motors. Same Idea with the stove manufactures. That is why it is important to buy from a reputable dealer.

 

[Enzo's Dad]

Actually i do sell cars for a living, and people call the manufacturer daily. In out business clients want fast answers and they typically dont trust us as dealers.

So I had my local Hampton dealer order a part that didnt fit i called the manufacturer to find out why. The local guy argued that in the picture i posted above they were the same latch, but if you look closely they are different.

I am very happy with the product, but since i have a fire constanly in my living room with a 7 month old in the house , i want a latch that works.