PE T6 or Hearthstone

[WYOmom]

Finally made it to see the Hearthstone stoves in person. Looks wise I did not just like them I LOVED them. The dealer only had a tribute on display (WAY to small for my use, but pretty) and they had an Equinox on a pallet in the back I was able to see also.

So now I HAVE to make a decision. OUr house is about 2500 sq ft. We live in Wyoming, but in the more temperate part of the state - however we still have our share of days that don't get much above zero. The stove is in the family room basement and we use it as our main heat source for the house (built late 70's but we have updated windows and doors in the last 2 years). The current stove is a Kozy Komfort that is ???? years old. There is an older fireplace insert that we use for secondary heating on really cold days on the main floor of the house. I am a stay at home mom with 3 boys so I am home most days.

DH and I had previously looked at the PE T6 and liked it. He has not seen the Hearthstone in person, but likes what he has read about them. The Hearthstone models we are considering are the Equinox and the Mansfield.

Would the HS EQ be too big? (Is there such a thing?)
Is the HS worth the extra $$ over the PE? (I know there are people who just don't like hearthstone) They both seem to be well made and a quality product, IMO.
I liked the PE dealer a bit better and they seemed more knowledgable (although both have been around for many years) . How much should that really weigh on my decision? They will not be installing it, DH will. Not even sure that they would install since we are about 1.5 hours away from either one (yes those are the closest dealers).

Any thoughts/suggestions to our decision process?

 

[ckdeuce]

Bought a Mansfield this year. 3000 sq' home. Love it so far. Maybe a bit small for my home, but I have a very open floor plan and two sets of staircases going to the second floor. We will see when the real cold comes, but we had a few nights in the 20's and it had no problem keeping the downstairs at 72 and upstairs 68. Haven't ran it hard yet either. After 14 hours, coals are still hot enough to get things started agiain. Coming from a steel stove to the Mansfield, and I will never go back. Do It!!

 

[moosetrek]

Don't know if you bought a stove yet, but I looked at that Equinox too, if it's the one here in Cheyenne. If you PM me I'll tell you about the dealer we used and the T6 we got (price, service, etc.).

 

[WYOmom]

I think half of Wyoming has looked at the Equinox in Cheyenne. lol! I called Hearthstone directly to see about other dealers close to me and found out that they are no longer even an authorized Hearthstone dealer - even though they represented themselves to be. In my gut I did not feel good about them. We have since been to another dealer (all the way in Laramie which is a HUGE trek for us) that is a Hearthstone Dealer and my husband liked them a lot. I think we are pretty settled on the Equinox now, just getting the $$ together. Thank you for the offer though.


I LOVE your saying "There are too trees in Wyoming.
I mean, there are two trees in Wyoming. " Funny.

 

[moosetrek]

Good deal - Yeah, I wasn't impressed with the shop. I also was impressed with the dealer in Laramie, I hope it works out well. That's a lot of $ to get together, but you'll forget the cost when you sit by that beast of a stove all toasty and it's -20 outside!

 

[FireWalker]

Sounds like you have narrowed things down to two very nice stoves, the same two I considered when new stove shopping.

In the end I picked the Equinox because of the greater btu rating/heat output. Both stove look great! After using a stove for many years thats heating capacity was not quite enough for our cold weather I wasn't taking any chances, I wanted something big. I'm into my 2nd year with this one running 24/7 and other than your standard soapstone worries....cracked stones, fear of overfire I could not be happier. Nothing has happened, the stove is like new, it works as advertised and I don't see it eating much more wood than my old Dutchwest Extra Large cat, just makes a lot more heat.

My house is a little smaller than yours but as its a log home we have a good supply of fresh air coming thru the crack and imperfections. Try not to dwell on the money as your stove should last for years to come, easily covering it's cost in just a few short years of use. Get yourself some good dry wood, carefully follow the installation/user information and enjoy your new stove!

P.S. forgot to mention, I don't think the Eq. is to big for the space you have described, in the not so cold months I just burn a couple of sticks quick, get the rock hot and let it go out.

 

[Todd]

Does your current stove have an 8" pipe and chimney? The EQ vents 8" pipe.