Heatmaster G200 or P&M Optimizer 250

[stevepick]

Any opinions on either?

I know the P&M costs a bit more, but is it worth it?

Thanks.

 

[Heat1285]

Any opinions on either?

I know the P&M costs a bit more, but is it worth it?

Thanks.

i like the heatmaster design a bit better....both companies are known for a great product and good customer service

 

[Whitepine2]

I love my P&M can't say about the other one but would buy another in a heartbeat if I had to.

 

[woodsmaster]

I'm not familiar with the Heatmaster, but P & M is a great design.

 

[hondaracer2oo4]

I have a Heatmaster G200. This is my first season and have been burning for just over a month. I don't think that you could go wrong with either but I was sold on the Heatmaster for a few reasons. One was the fact that the P&M is known to have some issues related to the nozzle. They may have gotten them figured out by now but I know that people were having to replace them sometimes as often as once per season. Another issue people had with the nozzles was plugging up. Other then that people seemed to be happy but they were about $2000 more than the G200 which got much higher BTU output for lengths of burn and was much cleaner in the EPA tests. I have been Extremely happy with my G200 so far. I have burned about 1 cord in the month and a week that I have been burning. It really sips on wood. The heat exchangers and turbulators are connected to a rod that you lever back and forth when you load it which brushes any ash off the heat exchanger. Seems to work very well, I took a look up above where the turbulators exit and had a dusting of ash up there, not enough to clean out after a cord of wood. I raked out the ash from the reaction chamber and got three spade shovel fulls of ash. I had to remove no ash from the burn box, it has about 2 inchs of ash up there. Super easy to run, spread the coals out across the bottom before loading, throw the biggest piece right over the nozzle then add 3-4 more splits 6-8 inches in diameter around that for a 12 hour burn in these 40 degree high days. The G200 has an awesome feature which keeps you from ever getting smoke in your face or out the door. The fan is an inducer which pulls the oxygen through the stove, when loading you open the bypass handle which turns on the fan and pulls all the smoke from the burn box out through the top of the stove through a bypass door keeping any smoke from getting on you or in your face, my wife loves that feature.

 

[Karl_northwind]

that's what happens when you take the general design of the european down drafters, and add a high capacity water jacket, and make it acceptable to put outside. you end up with what about the best you can get with an outdoor boiler without full water storage.
they didn't re-invent the wheel, just threw on some mud tires.

 

[hondaracer2oo4]

Well they sure hit the nail on the head.

 

[tjcole50]

Done a ton of reading on the 2 mentioned. I dont think you can go wrong with either. I backed out on the owb purchase but plan to pull the trigger in a year or two.

 

[Buzz Saw]

How long has the Heatmaster G series been on the market? Units sold?

 

[hondaracer2oo4]

G has been on the market since 2011

 

[Karl_northwind]

The current G series iteration has been on the market for 3 years. the one previous was more like the P&M.

 

[Buzz Saw]

Karl, ever encounter anyone that has installed a G inside a building?

 

[Karl_northwind]

I'm sure they have, I haven't yet. the bypass makes it reasonable. I don't think I would install it in my house, but would in an attached shed/workshop etc. My house is too open and has a semi-finished basement etc. a house with a dedicated boiler room in the basement would be OK.