Soapstone stoves

[Bigg_Redd]

I think they don't look all that special.

There.

I said it.

 

[Wet1]

Oh no you didn't...

 

[BrowningBAR]

I think they don't look all that special.

There.

I said it.

It all depends upon your tastes. I don't like the modern designs some stoves have because it would look quite dumb in my very old home.

 

[Highbeam]

That's just because you've never owned one. I like the looks but the clincher is the performance. They work totally differently than the steel stoves I've run in the past. This helps you appreciate the stone.

I appreciate a mowed lawn too. Even a shiny paint job on a car. I like nice things and this extends to the soapstone.

 

[firefighterjake]

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder . . . I mean beholder.

Different folks and different strokes . . . all marching to the beat of different drums . . . not liking the soapstone? -- whatcha talkin' 'bout Willis?

Folks have different ideas on what looks good and what doesn't . . . if we all liked the same thing we would all be eating Hawaiian pizza and drinking Moxie every night and driving around in a Honda Accord coupe . . . instead folks have different likes and dislikes when it comes to food and folks have different preferences and needs when it comes to vehicles -- some folks need or want a GMC Suburban and some folks need or want a Ford Focus -- it's all good.

And so some folks love steel stoves, some folks love cast iron and some folks love soapstones . . . and some folks love all three.

As for me, I like some models that are steel, some that are cast and love the look of some soapstones . . . but most of all I love any stove that can keep me and my family warm and safe.

 

[firefighterjake]

By the way, a special welcome back to the "real" Highbeam vs. the Attack of the Clones "Hibeam."

 

[struggle]

I do agree with the looks thing at least with mine. An all black stove looked much better but they have performance issues :lol:

 

[wendell]

You think Craig will add on the posts from his fake account onto his total so he doesn't feel slighted?

 

[branchburner]

To each his own. It's funny to me that you started this thread, because I really want to like the way soapstone stoves look, but I just don't. I can't figure out why. I like the look of soapstone. I like the look of stoves. But...
That said, I love the concept of a soapstone stove, and if I owned one I'm sure I would grow to love the stove. Kind of like certain breeds of dogs I'm not too fond of in appearance; really get to know one individually, all bets are off.

 

[wendell]

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder . . . I mean beholder..

The fact that both Blaze King and Scan are both selling the same product is certainly testament to that!

 

[karri0n]

I think they don't look all that special.

There.

I said it.

:bug: hh: :ahhh: But what about the HeatLife©®™?????

 

[Patapsco Mike]

I don't like the looks of the stoves either. I don't like the colors and the way they contrast with their metal mountings. We need to start a support group or something, with a 12 step program.

"My name is Mike, and I think soapstone stoves are ugly."

If they made a stove with some ubatuba granite, I'd be all over it.

 

[BrotherBart]

Soapstone would be fine if my only other choice was some pimped out black porcelain box with nickel legs and door. :coolsmirk:

 

[fossil]

I don't like Lima Beans. Rick

 

[Highbeam]

By the way, a special welcome back to the "real" Highbeam vs. the Attack of the Clones "Hibeam."

Thanks. I had blocked the junkmail from this site to my email account which blocked the password renewal info. Got'er fixed and not too worried about post count. Cripes, it's a reminder of my addiction.

 

[bren582]

Well, I like both cast Iron and Soapstone.. and enjoy the best of both in my Clydesdale.. OK, No fancy soapstone to look at as that part lines the firebox but that's OK because the Cast Iron look is sooo cool.. the cast iron adds a great deal of character to it IMHO..

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I think they don't look all that special.

There.

I said it.

And I have a pair of winter boots that don't look all that special too.

There.

I said it.


But I'll also add that those terrible looking boots sure do keep my feet warm and dry!

 

[Todd]

I think they don't look all that special.

There.

I said it.

Trying to start a war? :lol: To each his own, every stove material has it's advantages and disadvantages, depends on what the owners tastes and heating needs are. I'll admit there are times I miss the quick searing heat I use to get from a metal stove, but I also don't miss the boring square box looks.

 

[Highbeam]

I like the looks but I don't like the low max temps. If I could crank this thing to 800 there would be some major mojo coming out.

 

[d.n.f.]

I have had two. One I bought (first stove, too small for the space), and one came with the house (cat soap). Liked the cat more than the soap. So of course my current stove is a steel non-soap because the wife thinks a BK is uglier than sin.

I like the soaps, but it would not be a deal breaker for me. Warm heat and all, can sit by it etc. I can sit and do sit right beside my T6.

Whatever. Buy what you like (or buy what the wife likes the looks of).

 

[Slow1]

I like the looks but I don't like the low max temps. If I could crank this thing to 800 there would be some major mojo coming out.

I've been wondering about this - Do folks with steel stoves keep it that hot (800 or close to it) for extended periods of time or is that more like a peak level that gives some measure of safety? I realize that at that temp you must really be blasting some serious heat out of the stove, but do you sustain that for hours on end or for a few minutes or somewhere in between?

 

[begreen]

I don't like Lima Beans. Rick

Me neither! Boy am I glad I got that off my chest!

FWIW, my wife doesn't like soapstone stoves either. I wanted to get a Fireview a couple years ago, but she felt it looked too dated. Oh well. She has fairly narrow tastes in stoves, so I wouldn't take it personally.

 

[begreen]

I like the looks but I don't like the low max temps. If I could crank this thing to 800 there would be some major mojo coming out.

I've been wondering about this - Do folks with steel stoves keep it that hot (800 or close to it) for extended periods of time or is that more like a peak level that gives some measure of safety? I realize that at that temp you must really be blasting some serious heat out of the stove, but do you sustain that for hours on end or for a few minutes or somewhere in between?

If I let the T6 rip, it will keep the needle up in the 700+ area for an hour or more until the wood has fully outgassed. Our little Jotul could do that too. They both don't seem any worse for wear from it.

 

[karri0n]

I've run the stovetop rust orange and the pipe cherry red for 2 hours or more on my cast iron stove before I knew what that funky lever that needed to be screwed back on the front was used for on my Cast Iron stove, and I know I wasn't the first person to do this to it either. This property was a rental with at least 10 tenants coming trhough it over a 5 year period or so, and the stove was used often throughout. I'm not sure at what point the handle came off for the air control, but she was run wide open ever since, until I fixed it after moving in and finding hearth.com. The bricks show a bit of unhappiness, and one piece of rather unimportant angle iron is warped in the firebox, but she's no worse for the wear and has more or less forgiven me for the poor treatment.

 

[Slow1]

I like the looks but I don't like the low max temps. If I could crank this thing to 800 there would be some major mojo coming out.

I've been wondering about this - Do folks with steel stoves keep it that hot (800 or close to it) for extended periods of time or is that more like a peak level that gives some measure of safety? I realize that at that temp you must really be blasting some serious heat out of the stove, but do you sustain that for hours on end or for a few minutes or somewhere in between?

If I let the T6 rip, it will keep the needle up in the 700+ area for an hour or more until the wood has fully outgassed. Our little Jotul could do that too. They both don't seem any worse for wear from it.

Ok - so you can do it, but is that something you normally do? i.e. is that part of your normal pattern on "really cold nights" or anything? I guess what I'm driving at is that I imagine driving a stove to burn that hot has to be burning the wood very fast and I imagine somewhat inefficiently since the flue temp must be running rather high at the same time (except of course for Pook with his MH installed). So I'm just trying to understand if folks would choose to run their stoves in the 700+ range for long periods of time on a regular basis or if it is more of an insurance policy against 'oops' moments.

Given that the amount of heat thrown out is not linear (I believe it is closer to a log function) the difference between 600 and 700 is pretty major - going to close to 800 must really be noticeable. I've never actually been around a stove anywhere near that hot on the surface. My VC did glow on the back near the flue exit (where NC VCs like to show their colors) so it was clearly hotter in that area but it was under the heatshield so I couldn't really experience that heat.