Lopi Liberty vs. PE Summit

[pilot-werx]

Ok, I think I have narrowed it down to two stoves... The first is the Lopi Liberty and the other is a PE Summit. The price is the same for both and I want something that will throw some heat. What would be your choice. Also there are some Jotul Oslo's around but I figure the Lopi and the PE will heat a larger space.

Thank you for the help.. .

 

[begreen]

I'd go for the Summit if the price was equal. The secondary construction is simpler and better protected. And EBT is nice for extending the burn time. The Summit also has tighter clearances if that is an issue. Rick, however, may differ with me and it would be good to hear the Liberty's strong points too. When I looked at one a couple years ago I was impressed by its stout construction.

That said, all of the stoves you are looking at are excellent heaters, so you won't go wrong with them.

 

[RAY_PA]

open your mind...listen to the force...buy the Summit! hehehe They are both nice stoves, but I am a sworn member of the Summit cult, so my suggestion will always be the same.

 

[fossil]

Flip a coin. I'm perfectly satisfied with my Liberty...and I'm sure if I had a Summit I'd feel the same about it. Both fine stoves so far as I know. Rick

 

[Pepp31]

I don't have any experience with the Summit but I do have an Avalon Olympic which is the Libertys twin sister. I must say the Olympic puts out some serious heat. It has heated my 3200 square foot home going into its third year. I did not buy a blower for this stove and use an Ecofan instead. The stove is in a partial finished basement and it will heat the entire house.

 

[Jimbob]

I have a Summit, and it's perfect. ;-)

 

[crazy_dan]

At least the door swings the Proper way on both stoves

 

[BJ64]

From experience I know Lopi has very good customer support and service. PE may also.

Both units are great to have to choose from!

 

[WidowMaker]

I would opt for a stove with an ash drawer. I know I'll never buy another stove without one. I currently heat 2000sq.ft. with a Lopi Endeavor, great stove , but needs an ash drawer..jmho

Also, once you figure out which stove will heat you sq. ft. according to manufactures ratings...buy the next size larger...again jmho

 

[thechimneysweep]

We used to sell Travis Industries products, and found them to be solid, dependable performers, but for several reasons we eventually dropped them in favor of PE.

Here are some comparison points worth considering:

Construction:
Lopi Liberty: 3/16" Firebox w/ 5/16" Top Plate (7 year warranty)
PE Summit: 1/4" Firebox w/ 5/16" Top Plate (lifetime warranty)
Comment: Not a huge diff, but hey, thicker is thicker. And check out the warranty.

Secondary Burn System:
Lopi Liberty: Mild steel burn tubes (5 year parts & labor warranty, 7 year parts only)
PE Summit: Stainless steel burn chamber (lifetime warranty)
Comment: There is a high likelihood the Lopi tubes will burn out, and replacement is a nasty chore (they're held in place with hammered-in roll pins). There is an extremely low likelihood the PE burn chamber will burn out, but if it ever does, replacement would take less than one minute.

Maximum Heat Output:
Lopi Liberty: 74,300 btu
PE Summit: 97,000 btu
Comment: This number gets no respect as a real-world performance number, BUT can be a good basis for comparison between models, as it represents the absolute maximum heat output the manufacturer was able to coax out of a given model during witnessed testing.

Ash Drawer:
Lopi Liberty: Not available
PE Summit: Optional size-giant hidden ash drawer

Burn Time:
Lopi Liberty: 10-12 hours
PE Summit: 10-12 hours
Comment: I have no doubt that Travis Industries was able to achieve a 10-12-hour burn at least once, or they wouldn't use that number in their brochures. They make the same claim for the same-size Avalon 1190 model we burned, and we could never duplicate that feat. On the other hand, we almost always had hot coals in the Summit after 10 and even 12 hours.

 

[pilot-werx]

Thank you all for the information. I decided that the Summit would be the best bet and seems to the better built stove so that is what I ended up buying. Should be interesting as it looks like a monster of a stove. In the end, the summit was also cheaper than the Liberty.

 

[fossil]

I'm sure you'll be very happy with that stove. Rick

 

[Hogwildz]

Another beast burner.
Congrats.

 

[BrotherBart]

I'm sure you'll be very happy with that stove. Rick

With the load Tom just dumped on your stove Rick, I would clean it off good before the next fire.

 

[thechimneysweep]

Rick, no offense meant to your stove, which I still consider to be a solid, dependable performer. Was just trying to give the OP the comparison info he was asking for, from personal experience with both models.

"When you shoot from the hip, you'll occasionally singe the gonads of the person standing beside you."
~Me. Just Now.

 

[fossil]

I'm every bit as sure that there are "better" stoves available out there as I am sure that for now I'm perfectly satisfied with the one I own and burn. My wife and I both drive 1999 vehicles. They still do everything that was expected of them when we bought them, and even though there have been "improvements" to vehicles in the ensuing years, we're not in any great hurry to replace either of them. I also expect, at this point in my life, that my Liberty will, in all likelihood, outlive me...so long as I take care of it and maintain it properly. Very similar situation in my mind as that with the vehicles. But you can bet that if I ever do replace it, I'll get something that opens the right way. ;-) Rick

 

[fossil]

BTW, Tom...I, as an amateur geeky woodburner (who's gonna be looking for your advice on a stovepipe question I have pretty soon), have only the utmost respect for your input here on this forum, which is a comment I can only offer to BB about maybe 7/8 of the time. But, then, if I hold myself to the same standard, that number may drop down to something like 1/16 or so, at best. %-P Rick

 

[Hogwildz]

OMG, I think I just soiled myself.

 

[iceman]

lmao!
another pe owner way to go!
you made a good choice

 

[Biglumber]

Who is pacific energy?
My lopi runs us out of the house. Serious heat at 70,000 btu. 95,000 would be pretty serious.
What are we looking at as far as cost difference between models?

on edit.. I just looked up PE. No wonder I haven't heard of them, dealer sites don't even list PE, but the PE site lists the dealers.

 

[pilot-werx]

Who is pacific energy?
My lopi runs us out of the house. Serious heat at 70,000 btu. 95,000 would be pretty serious.
What are we looking at as far as cost difference between models?

on edit.. I just looked up PE. No wonder I haven't heard of them, dealer sites don't even list PE, but the PE site lists the dealers.

The Summit was $100 less than the Liberty... I just hope it is not too much for the house...

 

[begreen]

How large a space are you heating? The Summit is a pretty flexible stove. It'll burn fine with half-loads of wood. I think you'll be a very happy camper.