Jotul #8 and Dovre 400?

[ChipTam]

I'm in the market for a used wood stove for a summer home in Canada. I'm looking for a small to medium-size cast iron stove preferably with a porcelain enamel finish. I've been monitoring ebay in hopes that something will turn up close to home (the Detroit area). At the moment, two stoves are only a short drive away and both look nice (at least, in the photographs). First, there's a Jotul #8 which dates from the early 1990's. I've read the reviews on Hearthnet and it seems that most owners were happy with the stove although there was some grumbing about the catalytic converter. Did all of the model 8s use a catalytic converter? Are there other things I might want to know about this model? The second stove is a Dovre 400. I've never heard of this brand but it looks almost new in the photographs. The owner says that this brand was recently purchased by Quadra-Fire. Do any of you out there have information about this stove? Thank you for any information you might provide.
ChipTam

 

[annette]

I looked into Dovres when one was available in my area. I was able to get info on "my" model, the Dovre 700, from Aladdin. Their number is 509.684.3795, I don't remember what time zone. I asked them about replacement parts, they said they had them, and they faxed me a list. Dovres look like pretty nice stoves, but I wasn't able to find many reviews on them. Enter "dovre stove review" into Google and you'll find a couple on this site. (The seller stopped calling me back, so I never got to see the stove and decide if I wanted it)

Oh, and regarding the Jotul 8, it changed a lot over the years. I was looking into one on Ebay that had sketchy information and had to call a dealer to determine its year. Based on certain details (like ash pan, and I forget what else) a Jotul dealer can tell you what year it is for sure, and if it has a catalyst. If I remember correctly, not all had a catalyst.

A few months ago, when I was shopping, I saw 2 or 3 interesting-looking stoves on Ebay in the Detroit area. Hopefully you'll see a few more if these 2 don't work out. And educate yourself on the prices of new ones; a lot of used stoves are going for very close to new prices!

If it's for a summer home, could you wait a little while? I don't know how early prices drop and dealers sell floor models, but others on here should.

 

[ChipTam]

Annette,
Thank you so much for your reply to my question. I will follow up on your suggestions. Yes, I've also been suprised at the price some of these used stoves will fetch. When the price gets up around 2/3 the price of new I begin to loose interest. With all of the Christmas stuff going on right now I may not have the time to follow up on these particular stoves but, as you've guessed, I don't need to purchase right away. I'll keep looking around for a stove and lurking at Hearthnet. This is really a great site.
ChipTam