Jotul or Woodstock?

[NE WOOD BURNER]

I am curious about feedback from users(not dealers) on two stoves.

Jotul 500 oslo

Woodstock fireview

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum NE wood burner.

I can say without a doubt there are many satisfied users of the Jotul stoves. They are good.

I can also say that the Woodstock stoves are par excellence. We have the Fireview and it is our only heat source. We are now into our sixth winter burning this stove and could not be happier. Here are a few things we like.

1. It cut our wood needs in half. Yes, we now burn only 50% of the wood we used to burn in an Ashley stove.

2. We now heat our entire home. Before we always had to close off part of the house in the winter. Not any more. We can keep a steady 80 degree temperature in the house day and night. Yes, we like it warm.

3. We used to clean our chimney several times every winter. Since installing the Fireview, we have cleaned it one time. We got about a cup of soot and no creosote. That was 3 years ago and we have not cleaned since. It simply does not need to be cleaned. This speaks well for the efficiency of the stove and the fact we burn top notch fuel.

4. The customer service we have received from Woodstock is simply amazing! This is one of the best things about this company as their customer service is second to none.

5. They are so confident of their stoves they will sell you one with a 6 month guarantee. Not satisfied? Send it back for a full refund. Not too many manufacturers will do that.

6. The beauty of these stoves is amazing. One thing we really like is that during the summer months when the stove is not being used, it just sort of fits right in looking like a fine piece of furniture.


One thing we heard before purchasing this stove was some horror stories about cat stoves. Some of them were correct as many years ago several manufacturers tried making cat stoves and had big problems. Not so with Woodstock.

Also, we heard that they are difficult to run. Nothing could be further from the truth! It is so easy to operate, a child can do it. There are 2 levers. One for the bypass and it is either open or closed. The other lever is the draft like is on any stove. Nothing complicated here.

Then there is the maintenance thing. The cat has to be cleaned occasionally. Oh no! Well, we found that to be a very simple thing. We do it once in mid winter and again with the normal summer cleaning. It is a quick job. Lift the top lid, reach in with one hand and pull out the cat. We then take it outside on the porch and brush it lightly with an old paint brush. Put the cat back in and it is done. Total time is 2-3 minutes at most.

You can get some literature from Woodstock by calling but this might take some time. You can get the same information from their web site: www.woodstove.com You can also call them at 800-866-4344 and they are very friendly people but they are not high pressure sales. They are there to serve you.

Good luck.

 

[remkel]

Well, I do not have the f500' but I do have it's sister, the F600.

Pros:
-Huge firebox!
- Very simple to run
- Easy to maintain
- Throws some monster heat. Watch out!
- looks fantastic (actually, the aesthetics are wasted in my home as the stove sits in the basement)
- did I mention it throws monster heat?

One of the only drawbacks I have is that their customer service is done through the local dealers. It is very difficult to get in touch with Jotul directly, although I did contact them via their Facebook page. Now that I have adjusted to a new burning style (this is my first EPA stove) I have come to love the gal. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[ddddddden]

You want to talk to Stump_Branch.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/ten-paces-and-fire-oslo-vs-fireview-duel.76345/

After burning for a bit longer I may be able to give some more insight.

The oslo was great for coming home after work pitching in some nice north south splits a super cedar or similar firestarter, east west logs on top and some sticks. Id have heat in no time. id burn it hot to get the temps up and reload on a semi decent bed of coals. it sure could sweat you out of the room. was easy to get up to temps and would hold a good full load of wood for an easy 8 hours. I love the cast stove look. it has what they term gothic styling and it is very eye catching with a load of good wood and secondaries. I actually miss seeing it up on the hearth. I liked the two doors. never used the front unless cleaning or starting, other wise the side door was all you need. fit my setup as the wood door is off to the left.

The fireview was a bit of a surprise. I haven't had the chance to be around a soapstone stove before and I must say I like the way it feels. But I will also say that it takes noticably more time to get the nice warm heat out. but once going its hard to stop. you can wake up after a medium load over night burn with nearly no coals left and its still above 200. The cat I find, and I await some comments, actually easier to use than getting a GOOD secondary burn. not saying one is better here, but after a certain temp, dial the air down, flip the cat, its done. no more fiddling with it. I miss the jotul in part to just being able to toy with the thing. I don't get that with the fire view, which for where it sits I honestly want. I just want it to burn for a long time and not have to keep going over to it to check. (i still do i have a flu probe, and other various thermos just because) The burn times have made me a believer in cat stoves.

I wish they made the oslo with a cat, with the fire box size, durability, quality and looks, she could use the extra 3-4 hours I get with the fireview. at the same time I wish that the fire view was bigger and the had the actual view of the fire of the oslo.

Id wish for the quick heat of cast iron but the heat retention of soapstone, but I won't try to bend the laws of the universe in this thread.

 

[DianeB]

I have the smaller version of the Oslo, the Castine. It does not have the side load feature as does the Oslo. I really love the Castine. It is simple to operate but loves dry wood (less than 20% moisture reading). Most if all the new EPA stoves have trouble with higher moisture content. Takes good length of wood (I can get up to 18 inches) but usually a max of 4 good size splits. The Oslo is larger and you have the feature of inserting north/south so you will be able to use more than 4 splits. It really is a simple stove. Castine only has one adjustment to fiddle with. The ash grate is wonderful - dump it every 3 to 4 days of 24/7 running. The Oslo has a smiliar grate. Some have trouble keeping the glass clean, but I find if I run it hot 450 to 500 stays very clean. Stovetop temp gauges work well, suggest the Condar Inferno. My dealer is really great, has been in business for 30 plus years but I have had no problems with install at all - he was just great coming to the home making recommendations for stove and size. So far has worked with my 1200 ft space - Had I a bigger space to heat I would have gone with the Oslo. He did guide me on going smaller to keep me out of trouble with tamping down the stove to cool off room as over time creosote would form - I had lots of experience with non EPA stove and we were skilled at smoldering fires for overnight burn retention. If we load ours last at 10 pm, there will be coals at 6 am. You probably will get longer burn times with the Oslo than I get with the Castine. We often go to bed earlier than 10 so have to work at restarting the Castine in the AM, but it has been easy to do - we use the Super Cedars

 

[ansehnlich1]

Oslo, of course I'm a bit partial.

Cast Iron will give you quicker heat ouput, firebox is big enough to do overnight burns, looks good.

My Oslo has been operating for 5 years without a problem.

Woodstock, don't own one, but soap is real nice, throws heat a bit softer, and longer after fire burns down than cast iron.

Really, your lifestyle, your home size, the room size the stove will be in, your geographical location, your burning intentions, these all play into this decision.

 

[firefighterjake]

I am curious about feedback from users(not dealers) on two stoves.

Jotul 500 oslo

Woodstock fireview

Any particular questions? . . . I love my Oslo . . . if I didn't own a Jotul I would most likely be running a Woodstock stove . . . probably the PH simply because I like the look of it better than the Fireview . . .

Jotul is pretty much bullet proof . . . you will have to search for a bit to find anyone that has had any parts go bad on it . . . only few negatives I can come up with is that it doesn't have a cat so the burn will not be as long, the front door tends to dump a bunch of ash on the ash lip which makes using the front door a pain in the butt and the sliding mechanism occasionally gets a little stiff which can be fixed in 5 minutes with a wrench and a bit of graphite powder.

Truthfully . . . I don't think you can go wrong with either one providing they suit your spacing needs.

 

[rideau]

Fireview is a great stove...no complaints at all. Ran one for years and never had any problems. Upsized to PH because my home is large.
Believe Fireview modernization is in the works, and the stove will ahve a bigger window....might check with Woodstock about that. Might want to wait for the enw model if so....Cat stoves rock. They are very easy to control and use very little wood, will burn long and low or long and hot, depending on the amount of wood you load.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

Thank you all for your feedback.
I love wood stoves!
I was leaning toward Jotul from my experiences with their 70's - 80's stoves. I can't buy direct from factory so I am crossing that one off my list. But glad to hear positive feedback on the differant models.

I think the new PH may fit my space requirement. I will need to get to Woodstock and visit the craftsmen there. I have a line on a used never installed fireview also so may take a shot at that also.
American Made and old school service and support from what I am hearing.

FirefighterJake: Hope all is good in Bangor! I went to UMO Love the area!

 

[firefighterjake]

Thank you all for your feedback.
I love wood stoves!
I was leaning toward Jotul from my experiences with their 70's - 80's stoves. I can't buy direct from factory so I am crossing that one off my list. But glad to hear positive feedback on the differant models.

I think the new PH may fit my space requirement. I will need to get to Woodstock and visit the craftsmen there. I have a line on a used never installed fireview also so may take a shot at that also.
American Made and old school service and support from what I am hearing.

FirefighterJake: Hope all is good in Bangor! I went to UMO Love the area!

Well if buying direct from the factory is a pre-requisite that will limit you to pretty much only a couple of stoves . . . among those is Woodstock . . . and they are definitely worth a trip.

Bangor is cold right now . . . but it's warming up . . . I think we're getting into the teens today. About 12 or so inches of snow on the ground here . . . more further north. Pat's Pizza is still doing quite well!

 

[Laurent Cyr]

Hi!

I have the Jotul F600 and just love the stove! This is my first year with it. Still trying to get used to a wood stove in the house. The stove is in my basement, as that is where the previous non-cat stove was. The house is a 3,200 square foot bungalow. I`m having trouble getting heat up to the main floor, and have recently punched a hole and installed a grate, to get the heat to rise. The Jotul is easy to fill, huge firebox, and throws a lot of heat. I`m still trying to get used to adjusting the air on the stove to get longer and hotter burns. The quality of the wood has a lot to do with it, I guess.

Laurent

I am curious about feedback from users(not dealers) on two stoves.

Jotul 500 oslo

Woodstock fireview

 

[TreeCo]

These type of theads are always interesting. It's so hard to compare stoves. I wish I could sit two on my hearth and switch back and forth! The Woodstock Progress Hybrid surely has my interest. I've been burning a firelight F600CB for about 4 years now and like it a lot. So far this winter I have not had the front doors open. I load from the side and the glass doors on the front are still clean from last spring's cleaning. I've been looking at my F600 and imagining Jotul adding a new top about 8 or 10 inches tall with a cat! Reuse the original top on top of the new top. I was also imagining a second version of this new cat top containing an oven.

 

[Bub381]

I've had Jotul which was a good stove but you can't turn em down to an idle like you can a cat stove so i built up creosote,A cat will give you a more comfortable shoulder season.I'll keep my Fireview.Did i mention i live more comfortable.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Love my jotul 400. I think I would love a woodstock soapstone also.
Are they pretty much the same price wise?

 

[Snipew4]

I installed a new Jotul Oslo last year and am very happy with it. I previously had VC and a smaller Jotul. I like the side door loading. The stove puts out a lot of heat and even though it is not a cat, burn times are fine and there is always a nice ash bed in the morning making start up easy. I cleaned my chimney and pipe before the season and I probably didn't need to. I never had it so clean.

 

[bjkjoseph]

apples and oranges....the fireview which i have..will burn longer and heat a smaller area...the jotul which i installed at my sisters..and is double the size of my house has a shorter burn time but will heat a much larger area ..woodstocks a good stove but beware of the woodstock pushers...

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

bjkjoseph:
thanks for your feedback. In your comparison you did not mention which model jotul you are comparing the fireview to.
concerns regarding woodstock pushers? I personally have no issues with users pushing their favorite brand of anything.
Paulywalnut: pricewise im sure they are close jotul 500 starts @$2409. woodstock prices are on their site.

Like software; companies tend to go to sales and let the users give them feed back. I like to be informed before a purchase. I do know that my grandpa fisher will always light and burn wood.

 

[fox9988]

Have you read through the reviews on the home page, under rate your stove? Lots of first hand info.

 

[Bub381]

I tell the truth because i don't need enemies on here.If i have to bull someone i'll find another site.My last post told my experience.NEVER go by 1 persons experience.There will be several stove owners reply, then check the site over carefully for the info you need.Take your time and study carefully.Woodstock don't need pushers because the stoves and the service of the company sells themselves.Check the warranties on the 2 companies.I always check a warranty before i buy.Good luck to you.This is all i can give you for a comparison.The Jotul Rangeley overheated this 2 story 1300 sq ft house.The Rangeley and Oslo are pretty close in size.I could only run it at 350 to 400 and built up enough creosote to cause flaming creosote to drop on the roof.Not the stoves fault,i oversized.The fireview however i can burn at these temps because of the cat and burn clean,that comes in soooo handy shoulder season.Best i can give ya.

 

[eyefish2]

I am curious about feedback from users(not dealers) on two stoves.

Jotul 500 oslo

Woodstock fireview

I am on my second year with an Oslo 500. I have been happy with the stove. I heat a 1600 ft2 "L" shaped ranch with this stove. The stove is in the far corner of the house. No problems keeping the house at 72 degrees with the stove. Stove is on main floor. Draw backs ==> It does throw intense heat as the house is warming up. Once warmed up, it is not too bad keeping the stove at a stable temp by throwing one log on at a time. Positives ==> I really like the looks of the stove. "old fashion cast look". Fire is nice to watch. Not too hard to get a 8 hour burn. I like the ash pan with the open grate on this stove. This is the main reason I bought it.

If you are looking for a main source of heat, I would consider a cat stove for the burn times. Like a friend of mine once said when buying a boat, "your going to be happy with whatever you buy" ==> true for the most part for boats and stoves, provided you do your research and know what you want.

 

[greenbrierwv]

i went from an older catalytic cast iron stove to a Progress Hybrid this year and couldnt be happier. It is hands down much easier to operate than the Vermont Castings Encore i had previous. And it just always seems to have coals in it, which is nice if your out to dinner on friday and come in later. throw in some wood and sit and relax. i eye balled a jotul oslo pretty heavily before buying this one and feel that they are a very well built stove and im sure would last and last. It came down to burn time and price, i got my PH for $2400 when it first came out. As for cleaning, out of curiosity i pulled the cat a week or so ago, after burning 24/7 since October and soon realized i was wasting my time. i just stuck it back in there and cranked it back up. it was clean as a whistle.

im guessing the fireview and progress have similarities, but not completely identical...but the soapstone deep soft warmth is hard to beat in my opinion. Its been sort of a mild winter but ive burned probably 1/3-1/2 the wood this year compared to last. thats always a bonus!! The Woodstock stoves are built like a tank with the beauty of a Rolls Royce and efficiencies of a Prius Hybrid (hence the name hybrid). You cannot go wrong with the PH for sure, or the fireview!!