Insert - Travis Large Flush or BK Princess Insert?

[BetterCallMaul]

Trying to decide between these two. Price is all-in - stove, liner, cap, install, tax...so there could be variation in install prices between the dealers going on here too. I also got prices on the Regency CI2600 and Hampton Hi400 and they were almost identical to the FPX large flush.

Pros for FPX Large Flush Hybrid Insert
- cleaner look
- larger glass
- larger firebox (3.0 cu ft)
- $800 cheaper installed

Pros for BK Princess
- long burn times - this is a big plus for me since I'll be the primary handler of loading the insert and I'm usually in the office for 8+ hours.
- should give off more heat if power went out (since it's not flush).

I was all set on the BK Princess, but having a smaller firebox, kinda uglier stove and being $800 more expensive makes me think back to the FPX large flush.

On a different note, I will need to tile or get a hearth extension on my fireplace, right? I'm measuring 13" from the front of the opening to the hearth edge. Attached a photo.

 

[mstoelton]

The BK is going to have better burn times and has a great following here. They have a new insert coming out in the next month called the ashford 25. It is not as large as the Pricess, but still is a CAT stove.

Not sure on the pricing of the Ashford.

Yes you will need to get the hearth extended or use a hearth extension. Minimum in the US is 16 inches from the opening of the insert (I would go 18)

 

[begreen]

There is also the BK Sirocco 25 insert. Yes, you will need a hearth extension at floor level.
(broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/EN/wood-sirocco25.html)

 

[Dmitry]

I didn't get approval from the boss to install BK Princess. She said its better to heat with oil than "that". They have new Sirocco and Ashford inserts now.Check them out.
I have Travis flush. It takes 2 loads in 24 hours of no so perfect wood to heat 2000 sq ft open floor ranch. 3 if you are home and it's cold. I'm intrigued by BK product because of "low burning times" and feedback on this website. Would I get princess? Probably not , its just 3 month of heating here, I wouldn't want to look at it in a summer. Would I get Sirocco insert ? I don't know. Didn't see it in person and smaller firebox volume would bother me. We like to burn it hot to see flames and say " oh, gosh it's so hot in here". You need to have very dry wood to get maximum out of BK, I think. Travis flush might be more forgiving to wetter wood if burn hot.

 

[webby3650]

I wouldn't let wood quality be something that would sway my decision. I've had a lot of cat and non-cat stoves. Even a Cape Cod that's about the same as the FPX.
My Blaze Kings have suffered through some under seasoned wood with no problems. They have handled it better than my noncats for sure. Since I built my woodshed I've had great wood. You'll get there, so don't make a choice based on the wood you have now.

 

[weatherguy]

Actually the princess, ashford and Sirocco are all the same size, they're all basically 2.5 cf box. My princess needed wood under 20% or it didn't burn well at all.

 

[jetsam]

I kind of doubt my BK has ever had any wood under 25% MC in it.

I am going to have to start reading this forum with the screen facing away from the stove so she doesn't get any ideas about needing special wood.

 

[weatherguy]

Mine was real finicky, I could tell right off the bat if I grabbed wood from the wrong pile but burned like a champ if it was below 20. The stove I have now is not so sensitive.

 

[webby3650]

I kind of doubt my BK has ever had any wood under 25% MC in it.

I am going to have to start reading this forum with the screen facing away from the stove so she doesn't get any ideas about needing special wood.

My worst was around 25%. It'll gobble down 20% wood with no problem. Now I can notice an improvement with wood thats drier, but it never really struggled with the wetter stuff.

 

[jetsam]

Mine was real finicky, I could tell right off the bat if I grabbed wood from the wrong pile but burned like a champ if it was below 20. The stove I have now is not so sensitive.

So you had one metal box that 30% wood burned in, and another one that it didn't burn in?

 

[BetterCallMaul]

I guess I didn't consider the Ashford or Sirocco because of their firebox size. Granted, they are only 0.2 less than the Princess, but the Travis is 3.0.

I forgot to mention the size of the house. It's 3500sq ft colonial - two stories with a basement. The stove will be going in a great room with a sloped ceiling that's probably 20ft at its highest point. I have no intention of heating the whole house, this will be supplemental.

Due to the size of the house and room, I've been trying to find the largest insert I can find.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

I kind of doubt my BK has ever had any wood under 25% MC in it.

I am going to have to start reading this forum with the screen facing away from the stove so she doesn't get any ideas about needing special wood.

That's funny.

But I hope you're not serious about all your wood being over 25%! Because the heating results are so dramatically better when your wood is properly seasoned. That's true regardless of whether you have an old school smoke dragon or the latest, greatest clean burn wonder stove. Dry wood lights off faster, produces bigger heat sooner and leaves less ash to clean up. Being lighter it's also easier to pack into the house.

Wood under 25% moisture content is not "special wood", it's what anyone who knew what they were doing has been burning for the last several hundred years.

 

[prezes13]

I love BK stoves and I would love to put one in my house but in your situation I would want something as big as possible, and even that might struggle.

 

[webby3650]

I guess I didn't consider the Ashford or Sirocco because of their firebox size. Granted, they are only 0.2 less than the Princess, but the Travis is 3.0.

I forgot to mention the size of the house. It's 3500sq ft colonial - two stories with a basement. The stove will be going in a great room with a sloped ceiling that's probably 20ft at its highest point. I have no intention of heating the whole house, this will be supplemental.

Due to the size of the house and room, I've been trying to find the largest insert I can find.

Consider firebox shape as well. One that claims 3' often can't fit 3' of wood in it. My cape cod was 24" wide but only 12" deep and had an arched opening. Unless I cut my wood 12" long the top 1/3 of the box was unusable. Or if I used typical 16" wood I'm wasting a 1/3 or so on the side. I'm not interested in cutting 12" or 24" wood! A stove that loads either direction is much more usable, even if it's technically a little smaller..

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

I love BK stoves and I would love to put one in my house but in your situation I would want something as big as possible, and even that might struggle.

He has a 3000 square ft. house but he said he didn't intend to heat the entire house with wood, it will be supplemental to the primary heating system. So, no, I don't think a BK would "struggle" in his stated application.

Even if he did intend to heat an entire house with one stove, it's generally not possible (in a typical large house) to heat everything satisfactorily with one stove, regardless of the output. Unless you don't mind the room with the stove being uninhabitable due to high heat and the rooms getting progressively colder with distance to the heated room.

 

[prezes13]

You might be right however, from my expireince I know that you start with supplemental heating needs and then all the sudden you want a primary wood heat. With his high ceilings low and slow which is bk's forte may not be good enough. Everything depends on the house and outside temp etc. I still believe that 2.5 cf fire box is insufficient. I wouldn't mind having 3cf for my 1200sf "modern" 1994 house

 

[jetsam]

That's funny.

But I hope you're not serious about all your wood being over 25%! Because the heating results are so dramatically better when your wood is properly seasoned. That's true regardledless whether you have an old school smoke dragon or the latest, greatest clean burn wonder stove. Dry wood lights off faster, produces bigger heat sooner and leaves less ash to clean up. Being lighter it's also easier to pack into the house.

Wood under 25% moisture content is not "special wood", it's what anyone who knew what they were doing has been burning for the last several hundred years.

I'm on year #2 in a new house, so I don't have any really dry wood. I am about 6 cords of oak ahead at this point though, so in a couple more years I'll be burning all dry stuff.

A bit of advice for you: Mixing insults with otherwise sound advice is not a great way to get folks to listen to anything you're saying. A pity in this case, since you're right about the dry wood.

 

[Blazing]

I'm on year #2 in a new house, so I don't have any really dry wood. I am about 6 cords of oak ahead at this point though, so in a couple more years I'll be burning all dry stuff.

A bit of advice for you: Mixing insults with otherwise sound advice is not a great way to get folks to listen to anything you're saying. A pity in this case, since you're right about the dry wood.

Wait a second I thought we went with your wood is bad the install isn't right or you're doing it wrong . Now I'm gonna have to go back to the drawing board. All in fun but we can get a little stuffy around here in the fun department. I'll say @jetsam is one of my favorite members and is a good source for info on the princess insert.

 

[iron]

get the BK. as an owner of a non-cat stove, i long for the convenience of 24 hour burns and steady heat. a wood stove wasn't an option for us, and our old fireplace would only fit the smallest of inserts, so we opted for a new EPA fireplace. works fine, looks nice. just not as functional as a BK (from what i read). we've burned all winter this year and are a tad over 3 cords (using not-yet ideal wood)

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

I'm on year #2 in a new house, so I don't have any really dry wood. I am about 6 cords of oak ahead at this point though, so in a couple more years I'll be burning all dry stuff.

A bit of advice for you: Mixing insults with otherwise sound advice is not a great way to get folks to listen to anything you're saying. A pity in this case, since you're right about the dry wood.

A bit of advice for you:

If you think there is an insult in my post you need to grow a thicker skin. And I'll repeat myself, there in nothing special about wood with less than 25% moisture and the superiority of seasoned wood has been well known for centuries.

My comment was in response to your characterization of normally seasoned wood as "special". It's actually the norm with experienced wood burners.

 

[Dmitry]

get the BK. as an owner of a non-cat stove, i long for the convenience of 24 hour burns and steady heat. a wood stove wasn't an option for us, and our old fireplace would only fit the smallest of inserts, so we opted for a new EPA fireplace. works fine, looks nice. just not as functional as a BK (from what i read). we've burned all winter this year and are a tad over 3 cords (using not-yet ideal wood)

I don't think he is looking for 24 hours of low steady heat with 3000 sq ft and high ceilings. If he wants 6 hours of high to med heat with nice flames Travis Hybrid will do the job.

 

[webby3650]

I have no idea how the BKs got this low output rapsheet? They are capable of running very slow, which is very nice on spring/fall days. So slow and clean that no other stove compares really. But, when you demand heat you'll get it! They can rock out like any other modern steel stove. They do both jobs really well.

The Princess Insert isn't my favorite, so I'm excited about the new inserts from BK.

The Travis hybrid ain't my favorite either, nor are 6 hour burn times.. I'd expand my search personally. If you go with a Lopi, make sure you have a rock solid dealer that will support warranty/parts even if Travis Ind. won't. Make sure of it...

 

[BetterCallMaul]

The Princess Insert isn't my favorite, so I'm excited about the new inserts from BK.

The Travis hybrid ain't my favorite either, nor are 6 hour burn times.. I'd expand my search personally. If you go with a Lopi, make sure you have a rock solid dealer that will support warranty/parts even if Travis Ind. won't. Make sure of it...

Any suggestions on what models to look at? Got quotes on Regency 2600, Hampton hi 400, quadrafire 5100 and then the bk and fpx.

Based on reading reviews and research, I narrowed it down to the BK and FPX. But if there's a large insert I'm missing that takes a 6'' liner, I'd love to look at that too.


Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[webby3650]

Any suggestions on what models to look at? Got quotes on Regency 2600, Hampton hi 400, quadrafire 5100 and then the bk and fpx.

Based on reading reviews and research, I narrowed it down to the BK and FPX. But if there's a large insert I'm missing that takes a 6'' liner, I'd love to look at that too.


Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Have you thought about what I said earlier about the shape of the firebox's? Big isn't always big. Do you have a hearth shop where you can compare these models? I would take a Lopi Freedom or Freedom Bay over the Hybrid. They are pretty bullet proof, with a better box shape. Like others have said, if you are looking for big heat, why go with a cat? I don't really see why you'd want the hybrid either? Considering the added expense of the cat mixed in there. On mine the baffle was constantly warping... Lopis advice: take it out and hammer it flat, then repeat next time it warps... not for $3K! I expected better than that.

 

[begreen]

If they are sold in your area I would add the PE Summit to the options list. It has a large deep firebox and heats decently when the power goes out. If the chimney and fireplace is large enough to accommodate an 8" liner then maybe consider a Kuma Sequoia insert or a Buck 91.