Jotul vs. Englander

[jwhjr]

Great Web Site! You all have been a big help. I was all set to purchase a Jotul Castine,love the look, for the finished basement of my 1,300 foot Cape. Went to Lowes yesterday and see A Summer's Heat for $799! Almost 50% difference in price! Now I'm thinking. I know some of you guys swear by the Englander. Any advice.

Thanks,
John

 

[cmonSTART]

Englanders are great stoves for the money. I can't substantiate it, but my gut feeling is there's probably a performance advantage in favor of the Jotul most pricier stoves. I've never personally burned anything other than an Englander, so I can't say for sure. I wonder how a similar sized Jotul or PE would compare performance -wise.

 

[jrousell]

Both are good safe EPA approved stoves.. but-- they are drastically different in appearance and materials...

For some their personal preference for their appearance and how it macthes your room does play some part...

 

[Highbeam]

You are comparing a cadillac to a geo metro. This is a personal choice based on your taste. Both brands make very functional stoves.

 

[webbie]

A stove in the living space is a piece of furniture......to most people. If something in a more simple look appeals to you, the E should be fine. But if you want a piece of furniture that looks hand-carved, the J is going to fit that bill.

 

[Todd]

Go for the one you like the looks of best. They will both pay for themselves in a few winters anyways.

 

[begreen]

These are pretty different stoves. Both are good for their purpose - heat. There are the obvious construction differences, the Castine has more thermal mass and will provide a nice soft steady heat. But the Englander may be better at taking the room temp up quickly if this is an occasionally used area. If I remember right it has a little larger firebox capacity than the Castine, so that would be slight advantage too.

Compare the two closely and you will find many other differences in the latch assemblies, secondary construction, air control, general fit etc. This isn't to knock the Englander, but you get what you pay for.

So if this is a rarely used basement and all you want is a black box for heat, the Englander will likely fit the bill just fine. If this is an area where you spend a lot of time and really like looking at the fire and stove, then consider the Castine. If you want a hybrid (cast iron and steel) then take a look at the Quadrafire Cumberland Gap or perhaps the PE Alderlea T5?

 

[BrotherBart]

You are comparing a cadillac to a geo metro. This is a personal choice based on your taste. Both brands make very functional stoves.

I agree. A big gaudy lump compared to something clean, lean and efficient. :lol:

 

[begreen]

I knew you'd pick up on that one . A Mercedes to Chevy comparison is probably better.

 

[Highbeam]

Okay, how about a milwaukee sawzall to a Ryobi.

I have a general gripe about cast iron stoves that don't include a welded inner plate steel firebox. I don't want to tear apart and rebuild a leaky cast iron stove. Ever. A welded steel stove doesn't have this problem and some stoves have both the welded steel and the cast iron prettiness.

 

[begreen]

Welds can break, cracks in steel can develop over time, so there is no guarantee that steel will outlast castiron. Rebuilding Jotul stoves is a pretty easy task, though with the new seam cement, there may be a long time in between rebuilds. Some cast iron stoves like the Harman Oakwood are now gasketed at the seams.

We've also seen some older Hearthstones here that have needed attention after a decade or more of work. It's not the end of the world.

 

[johnnywarm]

Boy i learned alot today. Thank's.