Tried to ask my dealer about which of the stoves he reps is better, what puts out too much heat, which is easier to operate, which is more subject to breakage, etc. Didn't have much luck on that. He said that all of the stoves that he reps are good stoves, and that the differences mainly result from differences in wood, chimney, and whether a stove is being operated correctly. And from reading here, I suspect he's completely in the right on that.
However, when asking about the Leyden and the Encore Cat (because we like the appearance of these, and I'm a bit nervous about the Leyden putting out too much heat), he told me that the Encore Cat can be more easily operated at a lower heat output, so I may like that. He de-emphasized listed burn times, as it depends on how much air/how hot you burn a load.
Whatever I get, I'm sure we'll be happy with it. But a stove that burns at 700 F for a couple of hours during a burn cycle concerns me a bit. The old VC Vigilant would cook us out at about 500 and an hour and a half burn...
However, when asking about the Leyden and the Encore Cat (because we like the appearance of these, and I'm a bit nervous about the Leyden putting out too much heat), he told me that the Encore Cat can be more easily operated at a lower heat output, so I may like that. He de-emphasized listed burn times, as it depends on how much air/how hot you burn a load.
Whatever I get, I'm sure we'll be happy with it. But a stove that burns at 700 F for a couple of hours during a burn cycle concerns me a bit. The old VC Vigilant would cook us out at about 500 and an hour and a half burn...