Heatilator CAB 50... Pellet suggestions? (hardwood vs softwood) Brand?

[Shakes1976]

New to the site (hello!) and to pellet stoves. Just installed a Heatilator CAB 50 in our open concept living room/kitchen here in south western Maine. This will hopefully cut oil costs on our high oil bills (old inefficient forced hot air furnace). Chose the CAB50 due to a very tight budget and it appears to be an economical workhorse that I'm hoping will help warm up the house even with the cathedral ceilings. The seller threw in five bags of Maine Woods (think it was 65/36). I don't think they were bad, but I was hoping for a little more heat. I've been reading up on pellets trying to figure out what to get. It sounds like experiences vary a lot from stove to stove so I was hoping for some CAB 50 owners input.

I've been considering the following pellets and would like thoughts on those plus anyone else's top picks...
Cubex has high ash from what I've read but I'd reason that if it's 100% hardwood I should be able to feed it slower due to hardwood burning slower (although I'm surprised the manufacturer claims 9000 btu since it seems the softwoods are the higher BTU providers) and hence get more mileage out of it for a cost savings in the long run... like I said, I'm new to pellets so maybe my theory is completely wrong? Thoughts?

Cubex 100% hardwood ($309/ton)... producer claims 9,000 BTU
Energex (around $7/bag)
Maine Woods (around $6.50/bag)
Okanagan Platinum softwood ($319/ton) distributor claims tested 8412 BTU
Spruce Point softwood ($304/ton) distributor claims tested 8700 BTU
La Crete softwood ($314/ton) distributor claims tested 8730 BTU

 

[tjnamtiw]

You will get as many answers as there are posts on this one. The question just keeps resurfacing. Think about the process. Wood fibers are compressed into a small volume and bonded together. No matter what the type of fiber, you're getting the same density (hopefully, but not necessarily) into each pellet. That's why the btu ratings are pretty much the same.
What you are really looking for is what pellets suit YOUR stove, not another poster's stove. Sample them all and see what gives you the most or least ash, which translates to cleaning cycles. See if any give you hard 'clinkers' in the bottom of the burn pot and avoid those. One pellet brand is NOT hotter than another brand. Pure BS. It's just that one brand is more dense than another or are smaller and allow more volume to drop per cycle and you have to change the feed rate to get the same btu value of pellets dropping so you don't overfire the stove or underfire it. Sample. Sample. Sample.

 

[Shakes1976]

Thanks for the info/input TJ. Appreciate it! Be safe and stay warm.

 

[St_Earl]

MWP blend is the best value for my money.
i buy in the spring from SIB wood pellet warehouse in Jay.
i think they were $224 a ton this time.
and currently i believe he has them for $234 /ton

you can probably get that price down if you shop around for them (or any other brand) at big box stores and pick them up yourself.
i read about people using coupons and veterans discounts and getting under $200 fairly regularly.
but for me it's either have him deliver them here or do 12 round trips to the local TSC with the subaru.
and i'm not even sure exactly what brand they are carrying.
even though it's close, the time, gas, and hassle make it more than worth the $75 delivery fee i pay for 6 tons.
his fees are mileage based,

i tried more expensive pellets. $269 a ton for the crabbe softwood and the same for MWP softies.
i actually much prefer the way the blend burns in my stove.
they have more volume of ash, but i'm just about certain they have much less actual ash weight.
in any case, the crabbe fill the burn pot w/ heavy ash while the MWP ash just gets blown clear and into the fire box.
i'd much rather clean the firebox once a week than be worrying about clearing the burn pot 4 times in 24 hours. ( i do brush the ash away from the pot rim more often than once a week)
after that experience, i have zero curiosity about the $300+ /ton brands. i just don't see me saving any money that way.
i think you may get slight variations in heat from different brands, but effectively it's not enough to warrant spending a much higher price.
the only way i could not lose money on a more expensive pellet is if it was so hot it allowed me to burn on low and or medium all winter at times when i would be burning at medium or high.
the crabbes certainly didn't deliver that and i don't think there's a pellet out there that would.
again, i am never ever cold, so i see no practical reason spend more.
our stoves are basically the same. we have 3 feed motor speeds and a gate. my gate is closed all the way down and i've never had a problem keeping the house warm even at -15 to -20 temps.

 

[Dmichigan]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/eco-choice-cab50.133665/page-6

I have burned 6 brands in mine so far here is the thread, best i have burned so far is the golden fire