Lopi Endeavor 2020 ... should I buy a 2019?

[TNCave]

Hello all,

We’re just kicking off our new home construction and I’m planning ahead for our wood stove install sometime next summer. I’ve narrowed our stove selection down to the Alderlea T5 and Lopi Endeavor. Our local dealer carries Lopi and I was checking them out yesterday and chatting a bit trying to better understand the differences in the forthcoming 2020 model; none in stock yet. From the manual, it appears that the latch is different, it has an extra secondary burn tube, and the top baffle consists of a baffle board and fiber mat combination instead of the fire brick used in previous models. I always considered the fire brick baffle used by Lopi as a sign of quality and potential durability.

I would be very curious to hear what others think about the performance and/or durability of the fiberboard and mat baffles. Our current Napoleon stove has a baffle board and I am not a fan. It tends to get beat up a bit when loading wood, however it is the ceiling of the fire box and not protected by secondary burn tubes.

Any opinions or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

 

[webby3650]

They also increased the size of the door and added a grated floor ashpan system.

 

[TNCave]

They also increased the size of the door and added a grated floor ashpan system.

Thanks Webby,

We’re building a fairly airtight home and planning an outdoor air kit for supply air. I wonder if the grated floor will be a problem area for air leaks? I assume not or they wouldn’t be able to control airflow and burn rate properly.

I have to admit to not really wanting to be a guinea pig on a redesign. I’m definitely drawn to the PE stoves also, we’re just a couple hours from the nearest dealer.

Thanks

 

[webby3650]

The outside air shouldn’t be an issue at all, a lot of stoves have a grated floor. Lopi makes a superior product to a lot of others in my opinion. If you compare the fit and finish to PE you’ll see the difference in quality.

 

[TNCave]

I would still love to hear what folks think about the fire brick vs mat baffle.

 

[webby3650]

I would still love to hear what folks think about the fire brick vs mat baffle.

It’s unlikely that anyone here has seen one in person, besides me.

 

[TNCave]

I suppose that’s more of a generalized question about the two baffle materials. I know a lot of stoves out there use the baffle board and fiber mat combination and I was curious about people’s experience. I found the fire brick baffle of the pre-2020 Lopi Endeavor a bonus over other stoves. I now wonder if the new materials have advantages or disadvantages. I cannot imagine that they are more durable.

 

[begreen]

A friend had a 1990s Endeavor in his house, now it is in his shop. It's a nice medium-sized stove. Easy to operate and start and has a square firebox for flexible loading options. I too like the tough baffle in the Endeavor and am not much in favor of the more fragile baffle board. They replaced the Endeavor with the PE Summit and love the stove.

 

[webby3650]

They are plenty durable unless they get banged up too bad. It has 2 separate baffles covered in a ceramic wool blanket. They are pretty protected with the bypass framework and all the secondary tubes. It shouldn’t be prone to cracking since it’s 2 piece. It seems well thought out I think. The blanket makes a stove more difficult to clean, but not terrible.