Pacific Energy Fusion New Install - Mini Review, Some Pics

[CO2Neutral]

Well, like everyone else on this forum I spent many months coming up with what I hoped would be a nice stove for the home. We had it installed last Friday and I give my wife full credit in making the decision to choose this stove. I was a bit hesitant to go with the fusion -- it seemed too wild at the time. However, after having it installed and firing it up a few times I have to admit that all my fears have disappeared and we absolutely love the look and performance of the new microwave *edit* I mean stove...! Ok just kidding, but it certainly does have a unique look to it.

On with the show/review:

-We spent the $500 bucks extra on stainless steel. What can I say? -- this was important to us. $500 is a lot of money for us however we like the sheen.
- The low-glare glass: Compared to our old stove its a huge difference and the flames are very pronounced -- like you can pick up every fiery colour in that box. It might be just that it is new though. The air wash works as predicted, no complaints.
- The pedestal: Very nice feature and it certainly blends in the ash tray (directly above). Because the stove is fairly bold looking the wood contained below seems to balance the metal with the wood located below -- is that why they call it a Fusion?
- Loading: Being a bit taller is an excellent feature. No bending, easy loading.
- Cook top: This stove has a huge cooktop surface. I never realized it until we got it home. We may never use it but it's a nice feature.
- Handle: Definetely a positive upgrade from our old FW270029 Century heating stove. Smooth as silk -- even easier than my mother-in-law's PE Vista. The larger handle would have something to do with it.

Performance:

Having come off a 24/7 season of burning wood in Eastern Canada I was blown away with the way this stove lit up its first fire. I now know the meaning of "boost air!". It almost seems as though there is a fan inside the stove that shoots air in with the inlet wide open. Needless to say, getting the stove started is a breeze and for the first time we now have a stove I can start by leaving the door fully CLOSED. Perhaps the biggest surprise was how much of a workhorse this unit is. Don't let the microwave design sway you -- this stove is all business. Within an hour we had every window open and the house temp was pushing 24 degrees (celsius). The aggressive attitude of this stove really shown through and I realized I'm going to have to work at keeping this unit from over-heating the house versus our old stove where we were never happy with the output unless it was this time of year.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? Well, we are in love with this new stove. We know the performance is going to be great and we the design is certainly not as crazy as we once thought. I must admit that the stove looks much better at home than in the showroom. If you are leaning towards the PE fusion but are a bit hesitant I would suggest taking another look.... you just might surprise yourself.

Hopefully the pics came through.

Regards, Mark

 

[Jags]

Thats a pretty cool looking stove (how long does it take to cook a bag of popcorn ;-P ). Sounds like it will make a great new addition to your home.

On a side note, would you possibly have a little better performance (and less buildup) if you angled that horizontal run of stove pipe? Just throwing it out there. Of course that could throw off the look.

 

[BrotherBart]

What you have there is one beautiful stove.

 

[Pagey]

That's a great looking stove!

 

[CO2Neutral]

Thanks for the posts -- I'm waiting for the day I mistakenly heat up my coffee in there -- blah! I actually had an angle in the old singlewall pipe. The new installers said a straight vertical with a horizontal might look better (I really think it does too). Attached is the old stove and angle. For performance, I'm not worries about it (unless you guys tell me otherwise). We have way too much wind since I'm half a mile from the ocean and we are always getting blasted by the wind. I'll keep an eye on the performance like you mentioned though.

- MD

 

[Jags]

I can see that you did it for the improved appearance. It looks sharp. Being that this horizontal run is new to you, just keep an eye on it for fly ash buildup. It may not have any problem, but it would be good to confirm that.

 

[summit]

the PE stoves are bullet proof... one of the guys at the shop has a Fusion in the black enamel, and loves it... you cannot
get them in the enamels anymore. We just picked up 4 of them at a distributors moving sale, and the only one left after
one week from having them arrive is the blue enamel stove... the stainless, red,& metallic black all sold w/in hours of each other. We got them at a HUGE discount, since they do not offer enamels for those stoves anymore, so we sold them out the door for between 1200-1500 a piece. (normal retail was like 2500). Everyone we have sold them to in the past loves them,
I have never heard a complaint or gripe about the PE stoves.

 

[Todd]

That is a pretty unique looking stove. I wonder if the stainless would discolor over time from the stove heat?

 

[myzamboni]

If I had the square footage to require the Fusion, I would have one. Your pictures give a better representation of size/scale than any one I have seen on their site.

 

[begreen]

Congrats Mark, the stove looks great. Keep us posted on how it works out for you next season when it gets really cold.

Looks like you'll need to upgrade to a matching, stainless clad microwave on the counter now %-P

 

[Wet1]

That is a pretty unique looking stove. I wonder if the stainless would discolor over time from the stove heat?

Nice looking stove you have there!

I was wondering the same thing about discoloration over time. I don't know how it's constructed, but there might be enough spacing between the inner structure and what I would assume to be the outer SS skin to prevent discoloration, or even a thin layer of insulation (which would hurt performance)... but I'll be surprised if it doesn't discolor in time.

Thanks for posting the pics, looks sharp! :coolsmile:

 

[CO2Neutral]

Thanks folks,

Actually, I was at Future Shop today and joked when I saw how similar the new fancy microwaves are --- who knows?? Lol.

As for the discoloration -- the side panels are heat shields and the *seem* spaced enough. Who knows what time/discoloration will bring? Here's hoping it doesn't, but I'll let the group know how I get along.

Good question though -- based on PE's reputation I figure I'm in good hands.

- Mark

 

[Later]

Good looking stove. I didn't know they made a counter top version. And by the way, something is burning in the microwave.

 

[johnn]

Discoloration?? who knows!! Maybe only clean when the surface is cold could help. There must be one cleaner better than another with the heat exchange issue.
That baby looks like a piece of furniture,,fits right in with subtle class!

 

[Later]

Very classy looking!

 

[Flatbedford]

That's a pretty cool looking stove. It makes that microwave on the counter look outdated.

 

[Highbeam]

That is one big hoss of a door handle and I totally agree that you made the right decision with the SS cladding. It looks nice. I doubt it will ever discolor. My heatshields don't get hot at all.

 

[Peter B.]

CO2Neutral:

Thanks for posting the pics...

I still think there may be a 'Fusion in my future', but it will be basic black if I follow through.

And for all those of you making cracks about the appliance-like looks, I doubt many of you are driving around in cars that look like Model T Fords these days... though you may burn in a 'modern' EPA stove that looks like it belongs in the Model T era... or a few decades prior.

Harrumph.

Peter B.

-----

 

[BrotherBart]

I think that is a great looking stove. Here is the PE Macintosh stove. Or maybe the Istove.

 

[titan]

Mark...thank you for the review and those pics...looks great.You have just helped me in my decision between a stainless Fusion and a B.K. Princess.Enjoy.

 

[BrotherBart]

Mark...thank you for the review and those pics...looks great.You have just helped me in my decision between a stainless Fusion and a B.K. Princess.Enjoy.

"Hello. Yukon 911? We have an ALS emergency at North of 60's house. Get a rescue unit here STAT!" ;-P

 

[North of 60]

Ill be OK BB. Its not the kind of stove to smoulder pine in thats for sure, popcorn maybe? :shut: Just kiddin CO2Neutral %-P
Thats one cool lookin unit. Bigger than what the site photos give it credit for. I think some of your windows will be open this winter.

Enjoy & Cheers.

N of 60

 

[madrone]

Wow! I looked at these on the PE site and was not impressed, but your pics totally changed my opinion. That's a nice stove. I've been mulling over my next stove, (this one's still going strong, but I can daydream, right?) I was pretty sure I'd stick with a Travis stove, but PE is catching my attention. Thanks for the review.

 

[CO2Neutral]

The photos do make the stove very statuesque, and big. I guess the stove is pronounced but sitting here looking at it, it doesn't seem as big as those pictures (or maybe I'm looking at the microwave -- oh heck I can't tell which is which anymore ; 0.

- Mark

 

[Jags]

-- oh heck I can't tell which is which anymore ; 0.

- Mark

You will figure it out in short order once you build a fire in the wrong one. :shut: