Pellet Stove Concerns

[clint1]

I've been wanting a pellet stove for years and I saw a black Friday sale at Tractor Supply for a US Stove 5502m on sale for 989. I researched the stove and the company and I thought I was able to determine that the stove was made in the United States so I went ahead and put it in lay away.
I went to TSC and paid the stove off last weekend and brought it home only to see on the box 'made in china.' After more in depth research I'm finding that this might not be as good as I stove as I once thought. I'm debating returning the stove for a 'better one' but I wanted to get some opinions/advise as to any users of this stove or this company.
I did send us stove an email expressing my dissatisfaction but have yet to hear anything.

 

[Madcodger]

No idea on the particular stove or company, but neither I nor my neighbors can have much of a life if we depend on fast food, retail and entertainment for our economy. I am thus making an effort to support US & Canadian goods when practical. Not exclusively, and not maniacally, but often. We need a strong middle class to maintain our quality of life. It generally requires a strong manufacturing base to achieve / maintain that. 'Nuff said...

 

[Bioburner]

Your yesterdays Chevy is now todays imported poorly made stove. Seems a lot of trouble with imported China products. I have a friend that says if he's not at the plant to maintain product quality it gets put out as s&%@. I know of other companies that have to have engineers at the plants 24/7. I have seen two other China stoves of different importers and would not want them for anything but maybe a door stop. Edit to my statement, didn't mean to paint all China origin products as bad or poor. Just at this time it seems the stoves aren't worth the scrap Chevy that got recycled from!

 

[jdinny]

I started out the same way you did, except I never purchased.
I was going to buy a Tractor Supply/Home Depot/Lowes stove and then started doing some research.
I told myself they're all the same, just get a cheap one. Well, was I ever WRONG!
I was just about to buy a Quadrafire Classic Bay 1200 and then I walked into a shop that sold Harman.
Wow! What a pleasant surprise.
I go snowmobiling Jan thru March for two or three days at a time, leaving wifey and son home alone so I really wanted/needed one that was simple to operate. The shop was burning a P68, which was way more stove than I needed for the 1300 sq ft lower level open floor plan chalet that I wanted to heat but you talk about ease of operation and heat output, wow! The guy showed me how to maintain it, too easy!
Turns out the P43 was just right for my application. Very easy to operate, and man, does this thing throw off some heat! I bought the stove, some excel vent pipe, and a hearth pad, had a friend come up New Years day to give me a hand.
We started at 11am, and by 3pm we were watching that bad boy fire itself up. It not only heats the space I wanted to heat, but also heats my 800 sq ft master bedroom upstairs. What a pleasant surprise! My 90 yo mom lives with us as well as our 21 yo son. The zones for the boiler are on for those to bedrooms, but the rest of the zones in the house are off. It was -10 here last night and we woke up to a comfortable 70* home.
I wound up spending $3114.00, probably the best 3k I've ever spent.
Do your self a favor and go check out your other options, you'll be glad you did.
Harmans are made in Pa.

Here's a few pics:

 

[Lake Girl]

If you're looking for a "made in US" stove around the same price range, look at Englander stoves. They are not without their problems but anything with mechanical and electronic parts can have faults. You can find factory refurbished Englander stoves at:

(broken link removed to http://www.amfmenergy.com/manufacturer-refurbished-stoves.html)

They are not the same quality as Harman but they don't have the price tag to match! Harman is stoves have issues too.

Mike Holton, the head service tech for Englander is regularly on the forum.

 

[reallyte]

Be careful marking everything that is domestic as the best. These days your domestic cars are made elsewhere and some Japanese cars are made in the us for example. I agree many Chinese products are poor quality but you should assess the stoves quality irregardless of origin. of course as always, you get what u pay for!

 

[P38X2]

I guess yer first question should be who's gonna service it if it goes down? You're already questioning your purchase and if that does happen, which it probably will sooner or later, how mad will you be at yourself for not choosing something else.

Chosing a stove manufacturer with a good service network is paramount. Have you looked at ESW's? Fairly inexpensive new and even cheaper refurbed through AMFM.

 

[Mt Bob]

I would call that a throwaway stove,same thing we called yugos some years ago.Heck you can buy one on the net $1400. delivered anywhere.You will feel bad when it breaks and to fix it will cost $300-$400 parts and labor.But if this is what you want.Go to their web site,nice long video that implies and says stoves are made in USA.So much for truth in advertising.Also what would you get for warrenty?Check local shops look for a refurbished stove if looking for discount.Just my opinions.

 

[Bioburner]

Clint you already got what you will get for customer support in a unanswered email. More to come

 

[Enigma869]

Be careful marking everything that is domestic as the best.

I couldn't agree more. The "Buy American" crowd always amuses me. Next time they get up on their soapbox about "Buy American", ask to see their cell phone. I'd bet my last nickel that it was made in China (aren't all iPhones made in China?). Then, ask them who makes the TV(s) and every other electronic in their house! I can tell you this...I'm a bit of a car junkie and have owed more vehicles (from every manufacturer under the sun) than I care to admit to. Far and away, Lexus wins as the nicest vehicle (and I've owned three) I've ever owned. Simply nothing built like it, period! For the record, I currently drive an F150, so I certainly have nothing against buying American, if someone is inclined to do so. People should spend their hard earned money on whatever they feel like spending it on.

 

[chken]

You do realize that the Chinese, if they can afford it, like to buy American as well.

 

[Stevekng]

I couldn't agree more. The "Buy American" crowd always amuses me. Next time they get up on their soapbox about "Buy American", ask to see their cell phone. I'd bet my last nickel that it was made in China (aren't all iPhone made in China?). Then, ask them who makes the TV(s) and every other electronic in their house! I can tell you this...I'm a bit of a car junkie and have owed more vehicles (from every manufacturer under the sun) than I care to admit to. Far and away, Lexus wins as the nicest vehicle (and I've owned three) I've ever owned. Simply nothing built like it, period! For the record, I currently drive an F150, so I certainly have nothing against buying American, if someone is inclined to do so. People should spend their hard earned money on whatever they feel like spending it on.

As a machinist, I have seen many of the parts I have made go to the Communist Chinese . 15 years ago the Chinese had at least 16 manufacturing centers of at least one million square feet each. Each center will make everything from aluminum baseball bats to aerospace parts for U.S. manufacturers. One of the products that I have formerly produced in the U.S. northeast was Orvis fishing reels. Orvis decided to have the reels made in China. That lasted for about a year until Orvis lost a lot of sales on their Chinese junk. We have all read about the toxic substances that go into the products from China ; from coffee cup glazes to dog food and baby formula.
If there is a U.S. alternative ,I will not buy foreign. I read the label on food. I put back Mexican or South American food items. We don't have choices on electronics. But every new car has the percentage of U.S. parts that go into it's make-up. Anything less than 75% , I don't consider buying. There are viable domestic alternatives to seemingly superior foreign products. Don't believe what you read in Consumer Reports about foreign cars being the "Best Buy".

The bottom line...We all have choices on spending our money. The next time there is a report on the news about our trade deficit , I can honestly say that I am doing my part to reverse the problem. Are you?

 

[Mt Bob]

Bought a new 1989 nissan,working at a chevy/nissan dealership.Caught a lot of crap untill i showed the other mechanics the nissan had more usa made parts than chevy pickups,and was assembled here!Now it is getting hard to find replacement parts for autos that are not made in china.A lot of "factory" parts are made in china.Showing my age i remember when made in japan was bad,now it is a good thing!

 

[bill3rail]

Clint,

England's Stove Works! US made, high quality, UNBELIEVABLE customer service!
I love mine. amfm energy for re-manufactured stove for a great cost savings.

P.S. In the middle of an insanely cold snap, the oil delivery just dropped 60.7 gallons...

Bill

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

Don't be afraid of made in China.....be afraid of stuff made in China by not so reputable companies. The Chinese can make things as well as we can and also pieces if crap. It depends on what is asked.

 

[jslinger]

If there is a U.S. alternative ,I will not buy foreign. I read the label on food. I put back Mexican or South American food items. We don't have choices on electronics.

Thank you. I see this a lot. People saying it is silly to worry about where something is made, since most of what you own is made in China, has always bothered me. If there were a TV available made in the USA, I would try and buy it. All of my speakers/headphones are made in the USA, but the rest of my theater is made in China, because that is my only choice.
I agree that someone should be able to spend their money however they wish. But I appreciate those who try to buy American, when possible.

Onto the issue of the stove purchase. I would personally take it back. The recommendation of buying an Englander certainly makes sense. Their customer service is supposed to be excellent. If you can, I would save up for a Harman.
Every chain home improvement store employee I have talked to seems to think all pellet stoves are throw away items. I assume it is because they only know what they sell.

 

[Stevekng]

Don't be afraid of made in China.....be afraid of stuff made in China by not so reputable companies. The Chinese can make things as well as we can and also pieces if crap. It depends on what is asked.

It still increases the trade deficit and takes away American jobs. I know that sounds isolationist but to fix our economy we have to be. China is isolationist with what they allow into their country and get crampy when we start talking about restricting what we allow into the U.S.

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

It still increases the trade deficit and takes away American jobs. I know that sounds isolationist but to fix our economy we have to be. China is isolationist with what they allow into their country and get crampy when we start talking about restricting what we allow into the U.S.

The economics of it all is extremely complex and I don't begin to have an answer. But the reality is right now most things are made in China and some things are crap and some is just as good as stuff made here. I would love to buy made in the USA. But there are two limiting factors, one is they are hard to find, two is they are usually more expensive. Sometimes I am willing to pay up and sometimes not. Everyones opinion will vary.

 

[skibladerj]

As a somewhat active owner of a US Stove I would say if you can buy something better do it. Yes the stove keeps my house warm and Im glad the previous owner of my house had it installed. That being said no service exist other than the internet and my own two hands. When I have the money I will be upgrading to something better.,