New stove question

[Rangeley]

Hello all. I.ve been lurking here doing research for the last week or so. We are buying a new house and I need to replace the wood stove. It is a nice soap stone but just to small. I've narrowed my search to three stoves. F3100, 30 - NC and the PE Summit. The price difference is very different from top to bottom. I think in this area from $1100 up to $2100 for the summit. So here are my questions.
1.) Is the summit worth $1000 more dollars than the 30-NC?
2.) Is the summit the only one you can load north south? I grew up helping my dad run the old all nighter big moe. So I really like to load a stove this way.
3.) Am I correct thinking all the stoves will put out a comparable amount of heat?

Thanks for any answers. This sight has already answered most of my others.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Welcome to the forum!

1. Only your wife can tell you if it's worth $1K more.
2. All E-W stoves can be loaded N-S. You just need shorter wood.
3. They look like the same amount of heat to me.

Matt

 

[Fsappo]

Welcome to the forum!

1. Only your wife can tell you if it's worth $1K more.
2. All E-W stoves can be loaded N-S. You just need shorter wood.
3. They look like the same amount of heat to me.

Matt

If by 3100 you mean the Regency 3100, theres a nice sale going on with a free blower upgrade till October 22nd. Go to where you can see one in person and measure the log length front to back and see if it works for you. I have burned Regency stoves off and on for 25 years and they always impress me.

 

[BrotherBart]

The 30-NC and the Summit both have essentially the same size firebox so you can burn N/S in the 30. In fact that is the only way I load mine anymore. They both will take 18 inch splits but I prefer 16" for loading flexibility.

What you get with the Summit is a heavier baffle, thicker steel in the stove body and replaceable parts like the baffle rails. What you get with the 30 is that you can buy two of them for the price of one Summit.

 

[begreen]

Certainly both are good stoves. But, like the man says, you get what you pay for. Currently Home Depot has the NC30 = $1300. Last I checked, the basic Summit = $1800 at Tom's site. But one gets a lot more with the Summit.

The Summit is a jacketed stove. It can be installed in closer clearance locations than the 30NC. It's particularly good for corner installations. The outer jacket has a nicer finish and can be ordered in a variety of colors besides black. The Englander has side shields as an option, but even with the add on shields, the NC30 side=20", corner=14" vs Summit side= 12" and corner = 4". I know, because I tried to see if an NC30 would fit in our house. No go for our corner installation. (seconded by wife).

The Summit also has door hinging and many trim options as opposed to opening only in one direction. There is a large difference in the secondary baffle systems. The Englander uses a cheaper, disposable ceramic board that will need replacing several times in the stove's lifetime. The Summit's is enclosed in stainless and has a lifetime guarantee. It would be interesting to compare blower noise levels between the two stoves, though I have no idea which is quieter. Finally, the Summit is bought from a dealer, not a big box. For some folks, that is a benefit, especially if one has a good local dealer. We certainly are happy with ours! Of course, that could go the other way if not.

 

[stovelark]

The stoves you list are all about the same heat output, the PE is probably the best of the three for quality. I would suggest you check out Quadrafire and Enviro's steel stoves if you can,
the Enviro 1700 Kodiak is a heckuva stove for the cost. Good luck.

Stovelark

Hearthstone gas insert
Enviro pellet and wood stove owner

 

[Rangeley]

Thanks for all input. This forum has really helped in my search. I think I'm going with the summit, people really seem to like them. Thanks again.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Hello all. I.ve been lurking here doing research for the last week or so. We are buying a new house and I need to replace the wood stove. It is a nice soap stone but just to small. I've narrowed my search to three stoves. F3100, 30 - NC and the PE Summit. The price difference is very different from top to bottom. I think in this area from $1100 up to $2100 for the summit. So here are my questions.
1.) Is the summit worth $1000 more dollars than the 30-NC?
2.) Is the summit the only one you can load north south? I grew up helping my dad run the old all nighter big moe. So I really like to load a stove this way.
3.) Am I correct thinking all the stoves will put out a comparable amount of heat?

Thanks for any answers. This sight has already answered most of my others.

1) Only you can make that call. IMO, the PEs look a lot better and they don't have a bunch of vulnerable gas tubs on top waiting for me to break the next time I load it. FWIW, the base model Summit should be in the $1500-$1600 range. $2100 gets you the pretty Summit.

2) No idea. Cut your wood shorter and anything is possible.

3) More or less. The difference is in looks, easy of use, simplicity of design, and build quality.