It has been 3 blissful days and nights since hubby & I installed our new Blaze King Princess. What a difference it has made. We have only lit one match in that whole time, and we have only reloaded a few times. I estimate that we have cut our wood consumption by half to two-thirds, and yet we are much more comfortable.
The best part is that we can turn the stove down to a low burn at night and let the house get colder (which makes for better sleeping), and then quickly crank the heat up to a higher setting in the morning without having to start a new fire. Even better: for our occasional trips to the big city, it looks like we'll be able to leave in the morning and come home late at night to a relatively warm house and easy startup. And one bonus: I purchased the fan unit but did not realize that it not only has a variable speed but also a thermostat—so it only turns on when needed.
The only downsides so far: Because it is autumn and we are burning on low most of the time, the window glass is getting a bit dirty. Occasional high burns for 15-20 minutes don't seem to burn much of it off. Also, on low burns you don't see flames so there isn't a pretty fire to watch. And then there's that door that opens on the wrong side...
But these are all minor complaints compared with the ease of use. There is a bit of a learning curve but starting up a cat stove doesn't seem to be any more difficult or time-consuming than a non-cat. And once it is going...wow is it easy to keep it going without any tending at all.
For those who don't like the looks of the Blaze King, I hear ya. Hubby wanted this stove from the start (based solely on recommendations from neighbors), but he told me he'd let me make the decision and assured me that he'd be okay with a prettier choice. He is still shocked that I picked this one.
It seems obvious to me now that those pretty stoves with pretty flames are best for people who have another heat source. For people like me who rely on wood stoves as their primary or only heat source, a stove like mine is the way to go. I wish I had known that when I bought my previous stove 16 years ago, although my neighbors tell me that the old Blaze Kings were poorly made. I see a lot of those stoves now on craigslist with notes saying "sells new for $2500" as if the new stoves are the same model & design as these antiques! I couldn't find anyone selling a slightly used BK Princess, and now I see why. I am keeping mine for a long long time.
The best part is that we can turn the stove down to a low burn at night and let the house get colder (which makes for better sleeping), and then quickly crank the heat up to a higher setting in the morning without having to start a new fire. Even better: for our occasional trips to the big city, it looks like we'll be able to leave in the morning and come home late at night to a relatively warm house and easy startup. And one bonus: I purchased the fan unit but did not realize that it not only has a variable speed but also a thermostat—so it only turns on when needed.
The only downsides so far: Because it is autumn and we are burning on low most of the time, the window glass is getting a bit dirty. Occasional high burns for 15-20 minutes don't seem to burn much of it off. Also, on low burns you don't see flames so there isn't a pretty fire to watch. And then there's that door that opens on the wrong side...
But these are all minor complaints compared with the ease of use. There is a bit of a learning curve but starting up a cat stove doesn't seem to be any more difficult or time-consuming than a non-cat. And once it is going...wow is it easy to keep it going without any tending at all.
For those who don't like the looks of the Blaze King, I hear ya. Hubby wanted this stove from the start (based solely on recommendations from neighbors), but he told me he'd let me make the decision and assured me that he'd be okay with a prettier choice. He is still shocked that I picked this one.
It seems obvious to me now that those pretty stoves with pretty flames are best for people who have another heat source. For people like me who rely on wood stoves as their primary or only heat source, a stove like mine is the way to go. I wish I had known that when I bought my previous stove 16 years ago, although my neighbors tell me that the old Blaze Kings were poorly made. I see a lot of those stoves now on craigslist with notes saying "sells new for $2500" as if the new stoves are the same model & design as these antiques! I couldn't find anyone selling a slightly used BK Princess, and now I see why. I am keeping mine for a long long time.
