Osburn Matrix 2700 and 3500 - looking for Quality insert replacement for Regency I3100L

[davidmsem]

The saga continues, as I try to replace an insert in our home, Regency I3100L.

Hoping it's okay to start another thread as the research is continuing to find the proper replacement. If not you can delete this new thread but it is specific to Osburn and looking for information I cannot find here after searching on the forum.

Visited a dealer yesterday and my wife ruled out the Pacific Summit LE due to a highly technical reason, faceplate very large. That said it was large!

The dealer asked if we had considered Osburn. Up until now had not. There is very little information about Osburn Matrix 2700 and even less regarding the Osburn 3500 here. 3500 is actually $500 cheaper than the Matrix 2700. I'm guessing it's because the 3500 does not qualify for the tax credit. But I'm less interested in price and more interested in getting a great unit for the Long haul. So my question is does anybody know more about the 3500? The only thing I see online is a video where they are complaining about the fan vibrating and noisy. I had the same issue with my Regency i-3100 l and had fixed that by just putting some wedges underneath the fan box. So I can live with that. The question is seems like the 3500 is a very new unit and untested. Coming off this difficult experience looking for replacement I'm trying to gather information if the 3500 is worth the chance. It seems like it would be similar to my i-3100l. Similar concern for the Matrix 2700, seems very new and not lots of information here or anywhere. Am I missing something?

Looks like the 2700 has a two-speed fan and the 3100 a single speed fan that blows less than the 2700 fan on high. That would be disappointing It's nice to have the security of the fan high if it gets hot.

I am interested also in the blaze King princess 29, something draws me into that one even though I understand the difference and that we can get very long burn times. Additionally the blaze King princess 29 has a much lower BTU output so I would be running the house heat more to supplement, not a big deal, but we are used to a very toasty home. My hesitation on the blaze King princess 29 is it's a drop off in BTU output from my Regency I3100L. When it gets cold and I want to push to get more heat I don't know if the princess is going to disappoint. Firebox is 2.6 cubic feet, which is 15% smaller than the unit I have, 35% smaller than the Osburn 3500. Realizing these are approximate metrics and there are many variables, they are at least some measure of what one might expect out of the unit during really cold days. So the trade off between the princess 29 and a more traditional unit is not yet over in my head.

There's been lots of great dialogue helping me which I appreciate. Looking for information on the Osborne units as well as a possible alternative at a similar? Don't mind spending more if the quality is great and it will last.

 

[stoveliker]

Regarding sizing.(and to give folks who know both Regency and Osburn, and possibly BK, inserts a handle on this): did the Regency do well in terms of heat output for you? Did you have to push it often or were you running it comfortably without cranking it to max output?

 

[davidmsem]

Regarding sizing.(and to give folks who know both Regency and Osburn, and possibly BK, inserts a handle on this): did the Regency do well in terms of heat output for you? Did you have to push it often or were you running it comfortably without cranking it to max?

The Regency did very well in terms of heat output. The main house in our four bedroom colonial never called for heat this winter in Connecticut even with days down to single digits. Room over the garage is a separate story but not an issue as that is on a separate zone of heat. So it's kind of Great to have the main house heated exclusively with wood but that's not a total requirement. Upstairs would be in the low 60s when temperatures outside were in the teens. Good for sleeping.

As far as how we ran it, once night temps get into the 30s and lower we would fill it at around 9:00 p.m., let it get hot and then choke it entirely. My lovely bride would get up and start following on fire from the coals around 6:00 a.m. shoulder season, partial fills with the air partially choked typically.

Master bedroom upstairs and master bath are together on a single zone of heat. So if I did sacrifice some output, I could augment by heating the master bedroom. Just us living here now. Downstairs family room and kitchen area where the insert are is well insulated area, interior walls and ceiling. The 3100 could bring that to high 80s when it was very cold out. Really could blow you out of the room if you were watching TV and started a fire early. Didn't always love that.

This was all accomplished October through April in New Haven area of Connecticut with about 2.5 cord of wood. Three cord would be a very big burn year. Never been over three cords in seven years. House is very well insulated.

Hopefully that characterizes what you were looking for. I really appreciate the input it's been helping.

 

[poloboy]

We installed the Osburn 2700 Matrix in January 2022. It's our first stove and about 2 cords in its been a great experience! Looking forward to starting it up again soon.

We prioritized window Sqin in our search as this unit is a marriage between aesthetics and functionality. Also considered were style, price (at the time of purchase it was not rebate eligible), and log length flexibility. The fan is a variable speed dial with auto-off/on. We tend to keep it on its lowest setting because it is moderately loud but also because the size of this unit's firebox is a bit of overkill for our 1,300SF house.

The fires in it have been very nice. Getting a good draft on our 20' chimney with moderate wood quality. Glass is large and stays clean with a hot fire it will glaze over with the overnight fire. This might be because we aren't running it hard only using it from 4pm - midnight. The secondary burn gets going well but we don't pack the box as it heats up our 20x20 living room quickly.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.