Purchasing a new Stove, need advice

[Stover4Life]

Hello all. I am currently finishing my basement and when we built the house installed an 8" flue straight up and out the roof. I am interested in 2 different stoves but I cant find much information of them or reviews on them. They are the Vermont Casting Defiant and the Hearthstone Green Mountain 80. Can anyone give me some pros and cons on the two stoves. I am leaning toward the VC just because of the top loading option and its ash clean up seemed to be better than the Hearthstone. The stove will be heating a large space in the lower walk-out area. Its a large open area so I will need to go with the largest casting I can get. Any advice or information on either stove would be helpful.

Thank you

 

[begreen]

Top loading is overrated. The Green Mountain is a simpler design that should prove to be less costly to maintain over the long haul. I would also look at large stoves from Regency, Blaze King, and Woodstock while comparing.