Whats the difference? Firebox is the same size right? Also Ashford owners how do you like the ash system on your stove? I see It does not have a gasket to worry about. Thanks
Princess and Ashford 30
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The ash ford is newer. Lower emissions, lower efficiency, smaller firebox, requires a steel cat only, looks a lot better to most people, costs a lot more, and doesn’t have the super deep ash belly of the princess. The ash system is approximately the same on both. The seal is not a gasket but a tapered plug on the firebox floor.
Usually looks is what makes the decision. They’re not terribly different.
Usually looks is what makes the decision. They’re not terribly different.
The Princess is a steel stove, while the Ashford is cast iron jacketed. Also, the glass on the Ashford is closer to the fire, which keeps the glass cleaner.
AlbergSteve
Minister of Fire
My Ashford is a 2015 model purchased 5 months ago. Looks like there have been a few minor changes since then, one of them fixing the location of the ash drawer to make it work better.
To be clear, bk listened to folks that didn’t like the looks of the king and princess that were awesome performers but rather ugly. They created the 30 and 20 box and then skinned them with three different exterior looks to please the women. Ashford, scirocco, and chinook all share the same firebox.
I drove a vw scirocco, and have caught some huge chinook salmon. Not sure where the ashford name comes from.
The engineer on the project goes by the name of Ash, I assume that has something to do with it? Perfect name for this industry!
True story....
Poindexter
Minister of Fire
I find it it is faster to use the ash plug system on my A30 than it is to use a shovel and bucket (faster) and then have to dust off the home theater system (slower total).
At max output the princess outruns the ashford by about the same as running a 15oo watt hair dryer 20 minutes per hour.
If you need a convective source to deliver heat around corners and down hallways the A30 with fan kit is hard to beat, though the princess with deck and fan kit is hard for anything but the A30 to beat.
At max output the princess outruns the ashford by about the same as running a 15oo watt hair dryer 20 minutes per hour.
If you need a convective source to deliver heat around corners and down hallways the A30 with fan kit is hard to beat, though the princess with deck and fan kit is hard for anything but the A30 to beat.
Yes it did i would never consider a king or princess now that my stove is in living space. But when it comes time for a replacement i will seriously consider one of their better looking models. Probably the chinook because we are going modern in our new house.
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
I see how this is going to play out, day one, you install the stove in your house, day 3 you become a dealer. Why the lapse in days? The length of burn times will have you scratching your head and you'll need to load it twice before your convinced. All joking aside, the chinook is a great looking stove, I'd also want that one in my main great room.
It wont change the btus needed to heat my house yes in the shoulder season it will mean much less loading. But most of the heating season i will still be loading 3 times a day. Because i will still need those btus.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
I put a fine dust filter in a shopvac, hold the hose between my knees so the intake is above the ash bucket, and then shovel out the stove. Makes a huge difference in the amount of ash that gets airborne in the room.
Thanks.
I believe we are heading in to a Grand Solar Minimum. The storms and weather patterns certainly look that way. I need a bigger stove than the one I have now. It's prep time for a colder climate. Shorter summers. Longer winters. JMO.
If that is the case i would not be going with a bk because they dont have that high of a peak btu. That being said i dont buy into that theory very much.
I have no idea how this idea ever got started? BKs absolutely rock out if needed. My BKs have made more impressive high end heat than most other stoves I’ve had.
I know there’s more to it. I’ve seen how they come up with these numbers before. Maybe @BKVP can she’d some light on this. It has something to do with actual testing, rather than some unrepeatable number other manufacturers come up with in a lab. High heat values/low heat values... the whole system is designed to confuse the masses I think. Very little truth in advertising across the board.
Then you have the burn times. Bk owners even on high report much longer burn times than most other comparable sized stoves. Unless of course the discussion is about peak output then the burn times drop to match the stove being compared to. But with longer burn times you get lower btus. No way around it.
Of course the Btus are lower in order to extend the burn times. That’s what makes a BK stand out from all the rest. But they can hold their own when high output is needed.
Yes the long burn times are what makes them stand out. And in doing that they sacrifice peak btus. Nothing wrong with that unless you need more btus which many people including me since i moved dont need.
Or simply turn up the t-stat, and you still have the benefit of being able burn slow when needed. Running on high is fine.
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