I have the choice between a Kuma Ashwood or Jotul Oslo, both two year old floor models. Which would you choose and why? Thanks! ☺️
Jotul Oslo vs Kuma Ashwood - which would you choose?
- Thread starter afult7
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Do you know if either is a 2020 compliant stove? A lot has happened over the last 2 years.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
I like the looks of the Jotul Oslo and absolutely love my F400. That said I don’t think they have the non bypass catalytic converter quite figured out. For that reason alone I’d chose the Kuma. But….. if had to listen to complaints about how it looked for the next 20 years. “Remember when we got this ugly stove and could have got that really pretty one”……. I think the odds of issues with the F500 V3 are higher than I than I would like them to be, but I’d be willing to roll the dice.
They all can’t be terrible or the internet would be flooded with horror stories. If it’s a design flaw it may not be worth fixing, if is component quality I bet that’s worked out it working out by now. Jotul’s only big cast iron stove not selling well for the last 18 months would certainly impact revenue. Or they are planning a slow exit from wood stoves???? All speculation.
Kuma is a safer bet but chances are the Oslo would work fine.
Evan
They all can’t be terrible or the internet would be flooded with horror stories. If it’s a design flaw it may not be worth fixing, if is component quality I bet that’s worked out it working out by now. Jotul’s only big cast iron stove not selling well for the last 18 months would certainly impact revenue. Or they are planning a slow exit from wood stoves???? All speculation.
Kuma is a safer bet but chances are the Oslo would work fine.
Evan
I have heard enough feedback at this point on them. We will have to wait and see if the replacements for the "out of spec parts" fix the issues.
Thanks for the replies! The Oslo isn't a V3, so it doesn't qualify for the tax credit.. I'm thinking this may be our deciding factor. The Ashwood is the LE so it qualifies. The Oslo is so pretty and I like the side door loading but we would save soo much money with the Ashwood since it qualifies for the tax credit..I don't think I can justify the Oslo without the tax credit.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
In that case it’s a harder decision for me. No cats to replace at 250$ every 3-8 years (depending on how much it is burned) makes up for lack of tax credit credit over the life of the stove. I’m kinda kicking my self for passing up a used one (ivory enamel) this summer.
We are talking about passing the testing to be legal for sale now. Nothing to do with the tax credit.
Forgive my ignorance, what would make it not legally for sale? What kind of testing needs to be passed?
It needs to pass the testing required to meet the 2020 emissions standards. The noncat Oslo was not tested to those standards and is not legal for a dealer to sell unless it is a used stove which was used in a non-commercial setting.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
Old v2 models are not 2020 compliant. They added the cat for V3 and it meets 2020 epa emissions requirements. Meaning it (the V2 non cat model) is not supposed to be sold after March/April 2020 by dealers. My understanding the liability is not on the buyer. non 2020 stoves (used stoves) can be sold via private parties just not dealers. I have seen other V2 stoves for sale in new condition by what appears to be dealers. The dealers were given plenty (years) of notice of this.
You are absolutely correct the liability is absolutely not on the consumer.
Interesting, good to know! Thanks! Think I could negotiate it down further with this knowledge? Just kidding..kinda..
Absolutely. Considering they are breaking a federal law which carries pretty high fines if they are caught.
The goal is that the 2020 regs apply to new sources of pollution and if the stove was not "new" then it is able to be resold and installed. But to be not new, it would have to have been sold to somebody that is not a retailer and then returned or sold private party.
That guy has a lemon. Something unable to be sold and really a pretty bad situation to be in. Sure, he should have seen this coming and sold the stove for cheap prior to the regulations but he didn't. Lots of shops liquidated for cheap prices to avoid his situation. His mistake should be your gain. He can't legally give that stove away unless he can prove it was sold to a consumer and then returned. Maybe he has a plan to lie about it.
Do you think the Jotul new stove warranty would be valid on an illegal sale
That guy has a lemon. Something unable to be sold and really a pretty bad situation to be in. Sure, he should have seen this coming and sold the stove for cheap prior to the regulations but he didn't. Lots of shops liquidated for cheap prices to avoid his situation. His mistake should be your gain. He can't legally give that stove away unless he can prove it was sold to a consumer and then returned. Maybe he has a plan to lie about it.
Do you think the Jotul new stove warranty would be valid on an illegal sale
Do you have a suggestion on how I should go about this with the dealer? Can the dealer legally claim the stove as private property (or "give" it to an employee) and then do a private sale? I'm not sure what else he's supposed to do with it if he can't sell it, is he really expected just to junk it? He has no other options ?
I'm thinking there would be no warranty then if it was sold privately.
Still not sure if I want to approach this with the dealer or just go with the Ashwood.
Yes they are supposed to destroy any noncompliant stoves that were not sold before the cut off date. They knew about this years in advance they had plenty of time to sell it off.
There will be no warranty on the jotul at all it can't be sold.
Also make sure the Kuma is 2020 compliant.
That's a bummer that they're supposed to destroy them. The Kuma is the LE so it is compliant.
Are you sure about that? I don't know enough about Kuma's to know did they only have LE models after 2020?
The sign by the stove said LE but I'm going to double check with them to make sure.
kuma will be honest and tell you how to know if that particular unit is 2020 compliant. They have nothing to gain but a happy owner, the dealer has a reason to lie.
I spoke with Kuma and asked them about the dealer's timeline and they said it could be an LE. They said if it has the cat then it's the LE, and the woman at the dealership told me it does have the cat so I'm 99% sure that it is the LE.
As a side note, the people at Kuma were super kind and helpful, even said they would honor the lifetime warranty although it isn't a brand new stove. I can see why people speak so positively about their customer service.
Similar threads
