Looking for alternative classic wood stove with cook insert similar to Harmon Oak series

[PFog]

We are looking for our first wood stove. I have read several articles about making those decisions, I have a specific element I am looking for which I don't seem to be able to find when looking at different stove lines unless I drill way down & even then it's not clear.

The Harmon Oak series is very close to what we are looking for. We want a classic style wood stove with glass front. This will be used to heat a 1600 square foot dwelling (or supplement the furnace). What my husband very much was intrigued by about this particular line is the cook insert into the top of the stove. When we saw this in Colorado Springs a few years ago, it was a box. Now I see that it's a grill. Either way, he loves the idea of having a traditional wood stove that can easily cook some basic items, potatoes & such.

I'm reading mixed reviews of the Harmon. And while I"m thinking it is probably a good stove, I would like to know if anyone can direct me to any other company that has a similar type of classic cast iron stove with glass front that can load from the front or the top that ALSO has some sort of cook insert into the top, whether it be a box for cooking potatoes or the grill they currently have.

We are currently in Alabama, but the stove will go into our retirement house in Durango, CO.

 

[branchburner]

Welcome to the forums!

The Oakwood is a good stove, obviously a very attractive one, but the burn technology it employs ("downdraft" rear burn chamber) can be a bit tricky. Yes, the grill is one of the reasons I bought it! Did salmon and steaks on it last night, in fact.

But more often than not, I actually open the front door and put a few firebricks in either side of the firebox and lay the grill across them. It is easier to use it the way it was designed of course, but that requires a deep coal bed. If my timing is off and the fire has gone down too far, I use the alternative method, because rebuilding the fire to make a new coal bed may take too long. So timing the perfect amount of coals for grilling can be tough, since there is no way of adjusting the height of the grill when it is inset in the top door.

I believe there is another stove out there with a grill, but can't remember which company makes it. But even without one, a similar stove will let you open the front door and grill as I do, or use the stove top to cook soups, stews, etc. I also have a slab of soapstone that I can lay on the top and use for baking (with a makeshift oven made out of a few aluminum roasting pans as a cover).

Of all the cooking I do on the stove probably less than 20% is with the grill inserted as designed, but that said, it IS a really nice feature. But be sure you weigh it against the potential cons of downdraft design: long learning curve, babysitting the stove, strict draft/wood requirements, potentially expensive maintenance, etc.

Here it is in action:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/grill003-1-jpg.20513/

 

[begreen]

For a simpler and easier to run stove with the same cooking grille option look at the Jotul F50 Rangeley.

(broken link removed to http://jotul.com/us/products/stoves/jotul-f-50-tl-rangeley)

 

[branchburner]

Yup, Rangely is the one I was thinking of... thanks BG.

The Jotul burn technology is without doubt more user-friendly than Harman's... I like my stove, but could not suggest it above the Jotul, all other things being equal.

 

[PFog]

Yup, Rangely is the one I was thinking of... thanks BG.
The Jotul burn technology is without doubt more user-friendly than Harman's... I like my stove, but could not suggest it above the Jotul, all other things being equal.

Both of these sound good. I like that Jotul has operations in Maine. That certainly doesn't hurt convince the spousal unit to take a closer look. Thanks. We are still open to any other companies/models anyone might want to recommend.
thanks!

 

[begreen]

It really depends on what features are most important to you both. There are many good stoves on the market but for the built-in grilling option there are not a lot of other choices.

 

[PFog]

It really depends on what features are most important to you both. There are many good stoves on the market but for the built-in grilling option there are not a lot of other choices.

That's sort of the issue. I think we were open to a lot of different good classic stoves until my SU saw the top loading insert of Harman's Oak line. We don't plan to cook a lot on the stove, but we do want to be able to put a tea kettle or pot of soup on top & that insert just really seemed to set that one apart in terms of functionality.

The Jotul looks even better to my eye. I guess now I'm debating pro/cons of the 2, functionally & quality-wise. It's hard to find a price on these! Of course it doesn't come down only to price, but it is a consideration.

 

[branchburner]

Price should not be dramatically different for those two, probably in the $2500 range. Usually you have to call or email a shop for a quote, as they don't post them online.

Both are high quality stoves but with very different burn technologies... Harman's more likely to need maintenance and possibly provide what some call a challenge, others call a struggle.

One factor to consider is the reliability, competence and proximity of your stove seller/installer, should any problems arise (sometimes they arise BECAUSE of the seller/installer!).

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

Take a look at the Wood stock line of stoves the progress hybrid and the Ideal steel stove both have cook tops.

 

[begreen]

If the only requirement is a cook top, there is a much larger world of stoves open to you. It will come down to sizing the stove correctly for the area to be heated first. How large is the area, how well insulated and how high are the ceilings?

Some other good lookers in this category and size are the Enviro Boston 1700, PE Alderlea, Quadrafire Isle Royale, Jotul F600 and F500.

 

[PFog]

If the only requirement is a cook top, there is a much larger world of stoves open to you. It will come down to sizing the stove correctly for the area to be heated first. How large is the area, how well insulated and how high are the ceilings?

Some other good lookers in this category and size are the Enviro Boston 1700, PE Alderlea, Quadrafire Isle Royale, Jotul F600 and F500.

This thread has been extremely helpful! I'm so glad I posted. I'll definitely research those stoves you suggested immediately above this.

Harman's more likely to need maintenance and possibly provide what some call a challenge, others call a struggle.
Branchburner: I'm curious as to the challenges a few have alluded to of the Harman. My husband is experienced with woodstoves but this house will be the first one in which I'll be using a woodstove. Given my relative inexperience, the Jotul sounds more promising. Can someone speak to what that challenge/struggle might entail?

We will have a furnace, but if I know my husband at all, the woodstove will be our primary mode of heat, as much as is possible. The house is roughly 1600", 9' ceilings, we put any extra $ into insulation over style.
We have a local shop/installer that comes well recommended.

 

[branchburner]

I'm curious as to the challenges a few have alluded to of the Harman.

Harman achieves secondary combustion by "downdraft" mode, rather than the burn tube (or catalytic) technology of most EPA stoves, including Jotul. That means rather than taking place in the main firebox, secondary combustion (or "smoke burning") in the Harman occurs in a separate rear burn chamber as the gasses are forced down and to the rear before they can exit the stove.

This secondary combustion mode requires a very hot fire, with an established coal bed, and is quite sensitive to draft: too little and the secondary combustion stalls, too much and the stove/flue get pretty hot, with more heat being lost up the flue than with some other stoves.

The trick is in getting the fire up to temp, with enough coals, and adjusting the air flow in increments to get an optimal burn. If you shut the bypass damper (which forces the fire/smoke into the rear chamber) too soon, the secondary stalls. If you shut the air control too far too soon, the secondary stalls. If the wood is too moist, the secondary stalls.

Mainly, the stove just requires more attention, and has a longer learning curve to get your technique down pat. It is also better suited to long, hot, 24/7 burning in very cold weather rather than the fall and spring months, since short/small fires don't generate a sufficient coal bed to engage the secondary burn. That means burning with the bypass damper open, which works fine but is a less efficient (and more polluting) use of firewood.

One other disadvantage is keeping the burn chamber clean, and having it last. This means periodic cleaning, not too tricky once you know how, but also potential replacement of the ($300) burn package that seems to last anywhere between two and ten years depending on how the stove is (ab)used.

All that said, there are many happy Harman owners, especially of the larger TL300. They throw a great amount of heat (but a lot of it from the REAR of the stove, it should be added). There are also a few who get frustrated wish that had a more conventional stove. YMMV.

 

[begreen]

Nice objective summary branchburner.

 

[Millrrr]

Hi,
New to the forum and in the same predicament as original poster. Love the grill option that comes with the jotul and harman. Does anyone have experience with approximate burn times? I think I saw the jotul only having 6-8 hr burn time..need something with a better burn time ...don't like harman 300pedestal or how you have to tinker with them either. thanks tom