Morso 2b standard or a Jotul 602

[Angus]

I m writing to ask if anyone out there has used a Morso 2b standard stove?
I currently use a Jotul F118 CB, the black bear and we are delighted with it, the fire was never out last winter from October to April (apart from brief periods about once every 5 weeks to empty the ash).
Due to the price of oil we wish to put in another stove as we have an abundance of wood and will no longer use oil.
We are not sure if we should get a Jotul 602 or a Morso 2b standard.
Has anyone any wiews on which would be the better stove, if any.
I know Jotuls are excellant stoves and I m a Jotul man but my wife likes the Morso and you know wives, they are always right.
regards,
Angus

 

[webbie]

I used a 2B years ago, but it was not the EPA model. It did take a longer 20" log than the Jotul. Both good stoves...

My wife likes the squirrels on the side too!

 

[Angus]

Thanks for the reply.
2 b or not 2 b, that is the question.
Hehehe..... my wife likes the squirrels on the side, thats why she loves the Morso.
The 2b looks like a fine stove, but the local dealer has a 602 Jotul with a high top, quite a rare thing to get a new high top as they dont make them anymore.
I had a Morso 3440, it was a beatifully made stove and very clean burning, but I thought it had a design fault, as it pulled up air from the back, over the top and down the glass to pre heat it and so burn cleaner, all fine in an ideal world, but it would pull the air in hard (like us breathing thru a straw) and so the fire was either burning too aggressively or the flame would go out, with the risk of an explosion of unburnt gasses when the door was opened, it was a fine line to get it right. I sold the stove and this kinda put me off Morsos, tho I m sure the 2B has a more practical sensible design. The Jotuls I ve used have alsways been very easy to use and of a simple and practical design and will keep embers going overnight for an easy start in the morning.

 

[begreen]

It seems really a question of the size of the stove required/desired, nothing squirrelly about it. If smaller, go for the F602CB. It's a good little heater. My neighbors down the street are heating their 800 sq ft home with one. If you need bigger, go for the 2b.

 

[maker]

I bought a Morso 2B Standard in 2010 and I do not recommend this stove. The looks are nice and seems solid built, but the problem is in the interior stone. The interior stones are much thinner (about half the thickness) of other stoves. The stones are one piece and proprietary so if they break you need to order a new one from morso. The bottom stone in my 2b broke during transportation and morso hesitated to cover it under warranty because they said that it was caused during transportation. Morso says that it has 10 year warranty but what kind of inferior product it can be where a stone breaks during transportation. Would you believe that a stone will break while in a car and small bumps the car would break the stone. This pretty much concludes that "no more morso" - never buy a morso again.

Morso products look nice, but they need extensive care, even during transportation and installation. The breaking of the stone is very common. Another problem is the glove which morso provide with the stove. I used that glove a few times and one day I found out that the inside of the glove is completely burned out. So, morso also make bad gloves not just bad stoves.

I am not trying to generalize about morso, but I looked at a few morso stoves (in comparison to other well built stoves) and all of them have this thin stones which cracks and breaks. You will be spending money buying new stones if you buy morso stove. My suggestion is to buy a stove that have thick and heavy stones like you see in vermont castings stoves. Breaking those stones is out of question, they wont even break if falling from your hand. I had the intention to buy the vermont castings stove, but it was 250lb compared to 150lb 2b standard. Now I understood that those difference came from the weight of the stones. I should have purchased vermont castings stove.

Morso 10 year warranty is a sham. I spent $900 on the Morso 2b standard only to find out that I had to replace the bottom stone. I didn't replace it, I simply patched them with concrete from home depot, which is working fine now. Why go back to morso again and find out that they mailed a bottom stone again broken during transportation. Also, I do not believe in Morso's questionable 10 year warranty - I think morso stoves comes with NO WARRANTY.

If you are planning to use a wood stove for many years trouble free, it is not going to be a morso stove.

 

[precaud]

If you bought the stove new, then the cracked bottom brick is between the dealer and either Morso or the freight company. Did you talk to your dealer?

The vermiculite insulation in the 2B is custom-shaped, as you say, but it actually quite thick.

I have to agree with you on Morso's warranty. 10 years sounds good on paper. But it excludes every component in the flame path. Pretty useless.

 

[wendell]

Since old threads do get found after time, I need to say that i have found the quality of Morso stoves is excellent, in fact the best of the 4 stoves I have owned. And, in my calls to their US office, I have been treated wonderfully.

 

[Morso1bo]

I have had wonderful luck with my 2008 Morso 2B standard. After doing lots of research and visiting both the Morso and the Jotul 602, the Morso felt just like a better built stove. The feel of the latch, and the deeper ash lip (keeping coals from spilling on to hearth) all were much more substantial than the 602. The Morso is also rated for 1000 square feet while the 602 is only for 800, and takes longer logs. I know they are both good stoves, but I am glad I chose the Morso.

 

[Lynch]

i havent used either stove but i do like the looks of the j better...plus the cook top on the 602.
but the fact that the 2B takes longer lengths is a big plus in my book.
just get s sheet of paper and come up with all the plus's and minus's of each stove and see where that takes you.
tough choice i know. took me a long time to pick my stove and still hoping it will be a good one. ( haven installed the new jotul in the house yet)