Newbie looking for advice on Hampton H300

[brucelon]

Hi to All -

I'm happy to have surfed into this forum. It seems to be filled with good advice and knowledgeable users.

I'm ready to buy my first (EVER) wood stove. I'm leaning heavily towards the Hampton H300 with the beautiful brown ceramic finish. There are numerous older posts about it.

I would like to hear from folks who have been using their stove for years. Does the ceramic finish "hold up" to years of use? Are you happy with your purchase?

Is the 2-speed fan a great idea or a great profit item for Hampton?

We have a dealer in my town, but can better deals be shopped elsewhere?

How much (roughly) should installation cost? and is professional installation imperative?

SORRY about having so many questions - but I'm starting from scratch... Thanks in advance!

 

[maxed_out]

Hey I can offer a little. My nephew has one of these up at his place in the Adirondacks. I've burned if off an on over 5 years when we visit for a week or so each year. I gotta say, I like it. very easy to operate, nice controls, nice heat, the fan works great. The enamel has really stood up. If I needed a new stove, this one would be on my short list. +2 two thumbs up from me.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Hey I can offer a little. My nephew has one of these up at his place in the Adirondacks. I've burned if off an on over 5 years when we visit for a week or so each year. I gotta say, I like it. very easy to operate, nice controls, nice heat, the fan works great. The enamel has really stood up. If I needed a new stove, this one would be on my short list. +2 two thumbs up from me.

Good to hear. The H300 is on my list as one of the stoves that will eventually replace the Intrepid.

 

[Mainely Saws]

Hello ,
I have had the non enameled H300 going on 3 years now . I'm in a cold climate ( Maine ) & heat about 1000 sq. ft. with the stove . It is easy to control with dry wood & puts out enough heat for me . The one thing it won't do is is give an over night burn because the firebox is relatively small ( 1.7 cu. ft . ) . I paid $1600 for the plain Jane model . Hope this helps .....

Bob

 

[Fsappo]

The H300 is a great mid sized stove. I would rate it as a small ranch or a couple rooms type heater. Never had a complaint on one and sold many. Its beautiful stove. They retail for about $2700 in the brown enamel. Until 12/22 Regency is giving away the blower for free. Thats a huge bargain in my opinion. So if you dealer is right around retail and you like them, just shop local. That free fan makes a big difference in how it heats. Go buy it now.

 

[stejus]

I have the HI300 and it's fully capable of overnight burns. Last night I got 10 hours so don't worry about that. Just use hard wood and you'll get plenty of burn time.

 

[BucksCounty]

In my old house, I had the H200 with the brown enamel for 1 year before we moved. I bought it from a guy on Craigslist for a great price. He had it a year, maybe three (can't remember) before I bought it. Beautiful stove. The H200 had a small firebox, 1.34 cu. ft., and it took many reloads and running it hard to get the house to a comfortable temp (house was 1600 sq.ft. Previous poster is correct, overnight burns are tough. It has a unique "air gap" between stove box, baffle, and the top of the stove. The top of the stove really ever got super hot, and you could not get accurate temp reading with a thermometer on top.

I recently purchased a Hearthstone Shelburne with a very similar brown enamel finish. The firebox is 2.0 cu. ft. and wow, what a difference .66 extra cu. ft. make. I have also found with this stove I am able to achieve better, and much more frequent, secondary burns.

The Hampton brown enamel is a beautiful finish. I would say the finish and "look" was more appealing to me than the "look" of the Shelburne. The Hampton did have better controls and a heavier door than the Shelburne. The Shelburne, with the bigger firebox, seems to perform better.

Good luck and either way I am sure you will make the correct call.