Okay, I have narrowed my hunt for the perfect stove to these three choices. I am looking for feedback to help me make my decision. Any advice welcome. Has anyone had experience with any of these particular stoves?
Lopi Leyden, Hearthstone Shelburne, or VC Encore?
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Lopi Leyden and VC encore non cat stoves have the same burn technology. however you also have the VC cat combustor stove which is rated about 18% more capacity
. Really there no no bad choice to be made. The one that you like the looks to best or the wife pleaser
. Really there no no bad choice to be made. The one that you like the looks to best or the wife pleaser
woodburn said:
I agree with elk. It will be hard to make a bad choice with any of these stoves. Choose the one with the features you like. Do you want an enamel color? Warming shelves? Open door burn? Log length? Burn time? etc. Sort out the features that you like the best and choose the stove that comes the closest.
I will say that soapstone is best in 24/7 scenarios and is harder to live with if you need to stop and start a lot, or want quick heat in a cold house, say a weekend second home.
I think I am leaning towards the Lopi. I am just afraid it may be too much for the space, but I don't see how they can claim it puts out 70,000 btu's. It is roughly the same surface area and same firbox size (2.3) as the Encore, (2.1) and the Encore only claims 40,000 btu's. The Shelburne claims 50,000 btu's, firbox size is 2.0. I also don't see the greatness of the top loading feature if I am going to be keeping a pot of water on top for humidity. Such a tough decision!
None of the above. Don't you know Englander or Pacific Energy are the only two acceptable stove brands? All kidding aside all of those stoves are going to be a decent choice. Don't fret about the Lopi being too large you are on the right track in comparing firebox size etc. rather than numbers provided.
I was asking a similar question a few days ago, you may want to look through my post.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/10469/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/10469/
I would go with the Leyden, in my own showroom we have been able to duplicate the long 12+ hour burn times, makes it nice for day to day living and sleeping through the night. With the top load availability of that stove you can put a massive amount of wood into the stove. Just pick up the kettle, you can't put water in it while the stove is hot with out the risk of thermal shock to the stove and ruining the
Very happy with my new Lopi Leyden- just my opinion.
Had a VC Vigilent back in the early 1980's- picked it up freshly made, right at the factory.
It was a good stove-the new stoves are nothing like the old smoke dragons- they are light years better.
The quality and the top loading sold me- and my wife (the one with the checkbook) liked the 'style' better that that swedish one.
Firebox is plenty big enough- burns for a long, long time.
As they said... pick the one that has the features and look that you want... they are all fine 'wood burning appliances'.
Had a VC Vigilent back in the early 1980's- picked it up freshly made, right at the factory.
It was a good stove-the new stoves are nothing like the old smoke dragons- they are light years better.
The quality and the top loading sold me- and my wife (the one with the checkbook) liked the 'style' better that that swedish one.
Firebox is plenty big enough- burns for a long, long time.
As they said... pick the one that has the features and look that you want... they are all fine 'wood burning appliances'.
Thanks for the advice everyone. The link to the other forum thread was very helpful. One thing I am not sure of- Is the Avalon Arbor basically the same stove as the Lopi Leyden? If what I gathered is correct, both are made by Travis Industries? What sets the two apart? Are there any specific pros or cons to each one?
Travis has three brands. They have the same core models that are available in one incarnation or another that go accross the brands. They market them all differently
The only difference between a Leyden and Arbor is the etchings in the castings. So if you have it narrowed down to those two stoves, all you have to do is pick your color and choose which one best suits your style.
Noticed a not-so-great review on the Leyden.....
https://www.hearth.com/ratesingles/rate2186.html
Just came in.....
The stoves are fairly new, so take ratings and even opinions here with a grain of salt.
You will see a lot of discussion here (if you search around) about the potential costs of maintaining some cast-iron stoves. One of the dealers here suggest you figure $150 a year in parts and service.
There have also been some reports here that the "downdraft" system used in the Travis and VC has a certain pros AND cons which you may want to be aware of. Some have claimed a long startup time, tendency to over-fire, etc. - dig around the forum and ratings and ask any other questions here.
It is interesting that folks are making suggestions without asking you how much area you want to heat, how you are going to use the stove, and many other questions. Check out:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Choosing_a_Wood_Stove/
and then get back to us as to whether the stoves you are considering really fit with your intentions and needs.
https://www.hearth.com/ratesingles/rate2186.html
Just came in.....
The stoves are fairly new, so take ratings and even opinions here with a grain of salt.
You will see a lot of discussion here (if you search around) about the potential costs of maintaining some cast-iron stoves. One of the dealers here suggest you figure $150 a year in parts and service.
There have also been some reports here that the "downdraft" system used in the Travis and VC has a certain pros AND cons which you may want to be aware of. Some have claimed a long startup time, tendency to over-fire, etc. - dig around the forum and ratings and ask any other questions here.
It is interesting that folks are making suggestions without asking you how much area you want to heat, how you are going to use the stove, and many other questions. Check out:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Choosing_a_Wood_Stove/
and then get back to us as to whether the stoves you are considering really fit with your intentions and needs.
I had actually posted a thread before this one all about sizing the stove for my house- got lots of helpful feedback. Thanks for the links. I had no idea the Leyden was made in China. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere in these forums that It was made in The good old USA.
I may be leaning towards the Hearthstone Shelburne or even the Bennington now. I just don't like that the Bennington needs 16" of clearance from the back of the stove to the wall. The Shelburne is 12". Has anyone used either of those?
I may be leaning towards the Hearthstone Shelburne or even the Bennington now. I just don't like that the Bennington needs 16" of clearance from the back of the stove to the wall. The Shelburne is 12". Has anyone used either of those?
Wha?? The Leyden castings according to Elk, come from VT. The assembly is in Mulkilteo, WA.
If you are looking for a top-loader with a bit longer track record, check out the Quadrafire Isle Royale.
If you are looking for a top-loader with a bit longer track record, check out the Quadrafire Isle Royale.
Vt cast for Harman I don't know it the cast for Lopi /travis there are about 3 locations for castings Europe, VT, and China
so if it not VT or Europe then I guess its China. Also quad is ow out sourcing to China
Englander switched to VT
so if it not VT or Europe then I guess its China. Also quad is ow out sourcing to China
Englander switched to VT
I have never heard that Travis cast in VT......did someone actually say or mention this?
Travis owns foundries themselves, although they also outsource to Asia and perhaps other places. In fact, the reason that Travis Industries owns Lopi is that Travis did all their casting (brass doors) and was probably their single largest supplier.
Speaking of that, putting two and two together...Harman makes castings in VT, and Harman owes vast money to creditors. Wonder if we will see CFM making Harman someday (a scenario I can only guess they don't want!)
Travis owns foundries themselves, although they also outsource to Asia and perhaps other places. In fact, the reason that Travis Industries owns Lopi is that Travis did all their casting (brass doors) and was probably their single largest supplier.
Speaking of that, putting two and two together...Harman makes castings in VT, and Harman owes vast money to creditors. Wonder if we will see CFM making Harman someday (a scenario I can only guess they don't want!)
I would not use country of origin as my main criteria - my powerbook and all my other macs are made in China, as well as the iPod and probably that nice Ryobi electric splitter.....most power tools, etc. -
HearthStone makes their castings in Spain (it is, in fact, a Spanish company), and I'm fairly sure all the soapstone is imported also.
Main thing is that the stove matches your use. All the stove you mention are "slow" starters, but good full-time running. If you are going to do a lot of cold starts, it might be good to consider something which heats faster. Also, let the dealer guide you as to which stove they feel better about "standing behind", since they are your first stop for problems and warranty issues.
HearthStone makes their castings in Spain (it is, in fact, a Spanish company), and I'm fairly sure all the soapstone is imported also.
Main thing is that the stove matches your use. All the stove you mention are "slow" starters, but good full-time running. If you are going to do a lot of cold starts, it might be good to consider something which heats faster. Also, let the dealer guide you as to which stove they feel better about "standing behind", since they are your first stop for problems and warranty issues.
Excellent advice. When you say those stoves are slow starters, though they are made by Hearthstone, the Bennington and Shelburne are both all cast iron with no soapstone. Are they slow starters for some other reason, or were you just thinking soapstone?
Also, one dealer told me even when you put cultured stone up the wall, that does not reduce the clearance of the stove. Example- the Bennington is 16" from back of stove to a combustible. The dealer said no matter what you put in front of that wall, the stove has to be 16" from the sheetrock- the comnustible. Another dealer told me by putting a noncombustible like cultured stone on the wall. you can reduce your clearance. Now i'm confused. Hearthstone's brochure doesn't list different clearances for combustible or nc, just diff. clearances due to single or double wall pipe.
Also, one dealer told me even when you put cultured stone up the wall, that does not reduce the clearance of the stove. Example- the Bennington is 16" from back of stove to a combustible. The dealer said no matter what you put in front of that wall, the stove has to be 16" from the sheetrock- the comnustible. Another dealer told me by putting a noncombustible like cultured stone on the wall. you can reduce your clearance. Now i'm confused. Hearthstone's brochure doesn't list different clearances for combustible or nc, just diff. clearances due to single or double wall pipe.
woodburn said:
Putting stone directly on the wall will NOT reduce your clearance requirements, the dealer told you that properly. However in some cases, you can reduce your clearances by putting up an NFPA approved fire protection wall. This is a secondary wall made of non-combustible material (i.e. Durock) that is spaced one inch away from the regular wall using non-combustible spacers, and having a 1" opening along it's top and bottom edges so that air can circulate behind it. This wall could be covered with cultured stone or any other wall treatment you like, as long as it's all non-combustible material. This reduces your clearances, which get measured to the original combustible wall surface.
The exact amount of reduction possible should be listed in the stove manual. Look for entries for a "protected wall"
Gooserider
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