Lopi Evergreen vs Jotul Oslo V3 vs VC Encore?

[lxr4345]

Hi All!

I'm in the market for a new wood stove and have contacted a few dealers to price out options. For reference, my house is about 2000 square feet, and the existing fireplace is on the first floor on an interior wall with an open floor plan. We have zoned heating so in my ideal scenario, we would set the upstairs thermostat to a normal temp, and the downstairs thermostat to 50 degrees or so, and light up the wood stove for extra heat when we spend time down there. It also needs to be a reliable backup for power outages (so no reliance on blowers or fans).

The dealers I contacted offered me the following 3 options:

1) Jotul F 500 V3 Oslo CF
2) Vermont Castings Encore
3) Lopi Evergreen Next-gen Fyre insert (this would be installed top vented but without the surround or fan system). The dealer said this model is preferable to the cat model for simpler operation and install.

The prices are all within an acceptable range for me so it's not a factor in the decision. I've read some terrible things about the VC Encore, but it seems like the Jotul isn't much better. Which leaves me to believe the Evergreen might be the best choice. However, I'm hoping someone here can explain the differences in user experience so I know what I'm getting myself into.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[begreen]

Of the 3 choices the Lopi should be the lowest maintenance and easiest to use.

 

[sneefy]

I have no experience with the Jotul or VC, and this isn't exactly apples-apples, but I really like my freestanding Lopi Evergreen.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

If you're looking at an insert for your fireplace, they will all need a blower to get the heat out. Some inserts protrude more than others, and that allows more heat to convect out naturally, but inserts work best with a blower.

Its late enough in the summer that you may have trouble getting dry wood. As much as the sellers claim the wood is dry, few sell wood under 20% moisture.

 

[EbS-P]

If you're looking at an insert for your fireplace, they will all need a blower to get the heat out. Some inserts protrude more than others, and that allows more heat to convect out naturally, but inserts work best with a blower.

Its late enough in the summer that you may have trouble getting dry wood. As much as the sellers claim the wood is dry, few sell wood under 20% moisture.

Stoves set back in a fireplace work better with a blower too. And I think benefit more from an insulated blockoff plate as the radiant heat from the stove top is much more than the insert with the convective jacket. But you need a blockoff plate either way.