Jotul F118 draft sensitivity and overall performance

[Corie]

I was thinking of replacing the all-night at the grandparents house with one of these bad boys.

Any install one, sell one, or use one? Any comments?

I'm concerned it may not fit with the existing chimney system because the current all nighter vents right out of the back of the stove into the thimble, through the wall into a tee and then up the exterior of the house. Certainly a poor drafting situation. I may have to redo the chimney system with a purely vertical setup.

But regardless of that, what's the general concensus on this stove? I really like the looks and the flash fire system seems kinda neat.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

Corie, i think the new 118 has a bed rap around here. I can say this, i have not had one complaint on any of them i sell. Nor have i had any positive feedback either. Its alot of stove for the money, and seems to be built well like the rest of the jotuls.

 

[precaud]

I was thinking of replacing the all-night at the grandparents house with one of these bad boys.

Any install one, sell one, or use one? Any comments?

But regardless of that, what's the general concensus on this stove? I really like the looks and the flash fire system seems kinda neat.

Methinks MSG had me in mind as one of the F118 bad-rap proponents. I too was impressed by it on paper and by it's construction, last year. On that basis I recommended it to two friends, one here and one in IL. Both disliked it within a matter of a few days and replaced it immediately. It's not a good choice for an all-niter. The flash fire system does help it come up to temperature quickly, and it certainly looks cool. But it does not do long "cigar burns" front-to-back like the old one did. Jotul's use of that phrase in their adverts for this stove is unwarranted, IMO. The whole fuel load ignites and burns rather quickly. Coals buildup is a real problem. I can't recommend it to anyone except the occasional burner.

 

[begreen]

After a love affair with the 602, I also was interested in the new 118 also, but shied away after reading the reviews. I haven't read one so far that is totally positive. But I wouldn't think that the 118, even the new one, would be overly draft sensitive.

This would be a good topic - best stove for lousy draft. I would be interesting to see what folks are experiencing. Does the mighty PE survive this test?