Somebody help me please! I have to make a decision on a new wood stove in the next few days...

[VTMADE]

Hey there, and thanks in advance for helping me out! I was all set to buy a new Hearthstone stove, since my present stove is dying. I was leaning toward the Heritage or Mansfield. But after looking at one recently, I'm not that impressed with the workmanship. The top stones had gaps around the edges and you could see the cement squirting out, holding them in. It looks like it was missing caulk or something to fill in all around it. Also, not impressed with the ash removal. A bit too cumbersome for my tastes. Speed and urgency comes to mind when changing ash, and it was anything but. Dealer also told me that they received over 25 offers to be bought this year and they are looking to sell company to a high bidder.... I find this disconcerting since VC went downhill after selling. I also read bad reviews online about the service (or lack of from the company) so I'm hesitant now. I REALLY wanted soapstone, and even though I prefer an all black stove, I was going to settle for the grey stone w/black. But now I'm leaning more towards the cast iron again. I would LOVE to buy a Woodstock, the company seems great, but they are all so victorian looking and well, won't fit (visually) well in my log cabin home.

I have an old VC Defiant Encore. I'm looking to replace it with another cast iron stove since I guess that I just ruled out soapstone. I want a nice clear glass for fireviewing and I'm leaning towards a Quadrafire Isle Royal or the Jotul 600 Firelight. I'm torn between the two and cannot seem to make up my mind. Any suggestions or thoughts will be GREATLY appreciated.

Geez, this is like woodstove therapy I'm loving this site

Thanks!

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Be like the rest of the "men" around here and let your wife decide.

 

[Hanko]

Be like the rest of the "men" around here and let your wife decide.

Isnt that the truth

 

[fraxinus]

I went through a long period of indecision and uncertainty late last summer/early fall. The first decision was whether to replace my old faithful Defiant. The second what stove to buy. I finally settled on the Jotul 600 Firelight and am happy with my decision. The Quadrafire was never really in the running because the only source was a dealer I wasn't entirely comfortable with, but I did consider the Pacific Energy T6 very seriously. I also looked at some soapstone stoves. They are very attractive, but I like the quicker response of cast iron and the price was another factor.The Jotul won out largely because of its appearance and my preference for a radiant, cast iron stove. The glass on the Jotul does remain very free of creosote, but the inevitable ash and other deposits do accumulate. My glass has not been cleaned for 3 weeks or so now and is somewhat cloudy only on the lower portions of both doors - I'm perfectly willing to live with this and doubt any other stove with glass doors does any better. The heat output of the stove is excellent and my wood consumption is down by at least 20 to 25%, even when the unusually mild November is taken into consideration. I do not load up the stove for the night. Even without doing this, there are plenty of coals left in the morning to quickly restart the fire. I did have a second ash pan and a lid for it made at a sheet metal shop and I am very glad I did. I rake all of the ash and small stuff through the grate and into the pan and replace the full pan with the empty one each day now that we're really into winter. The whole process takes no more than 5 minutes and the lid keeps the fine ash where it belongs as I take out the full pan. Jotul has been in the stove business for more than 150 years, their North American headquarters is right here in Maine, so I think this company is a pretty good bet for overall stability.

 

[Jotulf3cb]

JOTUL is the way to go. I absolutely LOVE mine and cast iron just emits the heat beautifuly! GOOD LUCK!

 

[SolarAndWood]

After my VC Encore experiences, I doubt that I will ever have a cast iron stove again. Or, a stove with more than one door for that matter. If you like the cast iron look, I second the recommendation to look at the PE T6.

Welcome to the forum and enjoy the therapy.

 

[struggle]

The biggest issues with Hearthstone stoves that I have read over the years has been due to people burning poor quality wood as in wet.


The mansfield is a very reputable stove on this board. I have zero regrets about getting it. I too looked at getting a Woodstock but it was too off for us in the looks department.

When you run 24/7 the Mansfield is awesome. As for ash removal it is not a problem at all. Scoop to the side and leave some coals. Lay new wood in and let start back up on its own. It will hold coals for some time.

 

[11 Bravo]

Jotul..............without a doubt............Jotul

 

[cycloxer]

If you want a cast iron stove, Jotul, hands down, they are the best.

If you want a plate steel stove, then the Quadrafire. Quad's cast iron stoves are okay, but they do plate steel best.

 

[Brubaker Fireplaces]

Well the best bang for the buck for me is still Old Faithful VC. They have for the most part been through the worst part of the transition and are back to making a good quality american made stove.

 

[kevinwburke]

Went through all that angst myself the last few months. Settled on a Jotul F500 and love it (with lots of advice from the good people on this forum. Shop around...I found a dealer that discounted the stove $350 which none of the local guys would do.

 

[firefighterjake]

I too like the look of soapstone stoves, but I went with the Jotul . . . and I haven't looked back (well maybe once or twice . . .but I really can't complain.)

I mean . . . look at all the pro-Jotul comments here, check out the Stove Ratings sections which are overwhelmingly positive . . . you really can't go wrong with a Jotul (. . . as long as you have seasoned wood and size the stove for the house.)

 

[sandie]

I am pretty new to this with an old VC Resolute stove but in the 70s and 80s Jotul and Vermont Castings were king. Jotul still holds a great reputation and hopefully VC will come back strong but if my Resolute does go south, I will without a doubt at this time buy a Jotul. My nephew found one made in the late 70s that was burned daily from then til 3 years ago, he bought it because the homeowner died and the wife did not want to deal with it (age 87) so nephew picked it up reasonably. He burns it daily as his main source of heat and this thing performs beautifully wiithout a problem. He cuts and splits his own wood, it is well seasoned before being burned and he LOVEs his stove. What else could you want to hear. Jotul all the way.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Also, not impressed with the ash removal. A bit too cumbersome for my tastes. Speed and urgency comes to mind when changing ash, and it was anything but.

I REALLY wanted soapstone, and even though I prefer an all black stove, I was going to settle for the grey stone w/black.

I would LOVE to buy a Woodstock, the company seems great, but they are all so victorian looking and well, won't fit (visually) well in my log cabin home.


Geez, this is like woodstove therapy I'm loving this site

Thanks!

Welcome to the forum VTMADE.

You make it sound similar to what we went through before buying our last stove. As you can tell my my signature line, we did buy the soapstone from Woodstock.....and have not been even a tiny bit sorry.

I have no idea why you would think a Fireview would not fit well in a log cabin home though. We are still looking at the possibility of building our log cabin and would love to see our Fireview in there. One nice thing is that you can choose some colors when ordering from Woodstock. We got exactly what we wanted even though we never went to their factory (we'd love to though). You can even choose the stone by going direct to the factory. I described what we wanted and that is exactly what we got. It is amazing how different they look with different colors.

As for the construction of the stove, remember that there is a lot of cast iron to that stove; it is not all soapstone. For wood consumption, we cut our fuel needs in half! That's right, we use only about 50% of the wood we used to use and stay a whole lot warmer.

Also, you will search in vain to find a better guarantee than Woodstock gives. The Jotul is also a good stove and probably either would make you very happy.

 

[Flame]

Welcome aboard VTMADE!
Decisions, decisions. You came to the right place for honest but many opinions. I find that there are many excellent stoves out there. When it comes down to it on many of the top line stoves mentioned already No one really seems to out top the other. Some stoves may be a little better in one area while worse in another but when it comes down to it, it is just a matter of one thing being more important to You then another about a stove. I have the Mansfield and am very happy with it. I am sorry to hear you came across a bad apple and turned away. I agree I do not like the ash pan and use a shovel every 3-4 days (takes about 5 minutes). I do like the soapstone because it looks nice to me and I can sit in the same room while it is at full throttle. That to me was very important after having a CI that I could not do that with. Something to think about if This is important to You. Don't get me wrong because I love my stove but from what I have seen and read. If it were quality in a soapstone stove I was mainly after I would go for Woodstock. I too thought they were beautiful but a bit too fancy looking to fit in with our decor. The Mansfield seemed to fit better and the one I was looking at looked to be made well. Then it came to a cat or non cat and I prefer the non cat myself so after plenty of help from this forum my decision was made. That being said, if I felt I really wanted a CI again I would go with Jotul. I have a friend that has one and for quality and customer support they are excellent. You may want to do like I did and make a list of what is really important to You in a stove and how it will be used. I did this and then with help here narrowed it down to a perfect fit. I guess after all of this jabber - all I am trying to say is don't make the costly mistake of rushing in to it only on others opinions and wind up getting a different stove down the line. Good luck !

 

[JotulOwner]

Jotul..............without a doubt............Jotul

My Jotul Castine is one of the top five best items I ever bought. However, I don't think they make any soapstone stoves, but I could be wrong.

 

[sandie]

What are the other 4?
Merry Christmas

 

[BrotherBart]

Anybody that want's to drop off a new Hearthstone Mansfield at my house will be taken to an excellent restaurant and wined and dined till they can't walk.

I wouldn't replace the 30-NC with it but I would find a good use for it.

 

[Bushman1]

Check out an Vermont Iron Elm Stove. I have one and love it. My last wood stove was a Pacific Energy Super 27 and it was a good heater. The Elms are very interesting to look at and all I wish to say about performance is that it heats my house to the point that we run around in shorts all winter and don`t seem to hit the wood shed any more often than we did with the PE stove. I live close to Lake Michigan near the Straits of Mackinaw and its windy and cold here all winter. Mine is a 24" Wildfire and it has a huge firebox, it deals with heating with style .

This summer I picked up a Mansfield that had needed some repair and just could not get into it enought to fool with it. I am usually not shy of a challenge but decided that fixing an overfired soapstone wood stove did not have to be on my list of things I did.

Check your local Craigslist and you may be suprised at whats in your area.

Bushman

 

[JotulOwner]

Check out an Vermont Iron Elm Stove. I have one and love it. My last wood stove was a Pacific Energy Super 27 and it was a good heater. The Elms are very interesting to look at and all I wish to say about performance is that it heats my house to the point that we run around in shorts all winter and don`t seem to hit the wood shed any more often than we did with the PE stove. I live close to Lake Michigan near the Straits of Mackinaw and its windy and cold here all winter. Mine is a 24" Wildfire and it has a huge firebox, it deals with heating with style .

This summer I picked up a Mansfield that had needed some repair and just could not get into it enought to fool with it. I am usually not shy of a challenge but decided that fixing an overfired soapstone wood stove did not have to be on my list of things I did.

Check your local Craigslist and you may be suprised at whats in your area.

Bushman

A flying washing machine that heats your home. I really like it! :coolsmile:

 

[northwinds]

I looked at the Jotul Firelight and the Quadrafire Isle Royale when choosing my stove. My decision came down to feeling
more comfortable with the dealer on the Quad stove. Either stove is a very good product. Pick the one with the features
you like and the dealer you like; both are good heaters.

 

[argus66]

i too was in between the quad and jotul, went with jotul but both are great stoves.

 

[buckeye]

This is the 3rd year that I have heated with the Heritage. The first year was terrible, I had never heated with wood and relied on this board to get me through the rough times. The 2nd season was much better. I had wood that I cut and knew was dry, but was still learning the "ins and outs" of the stove. This season things are going great so far. I'm using much less wood and getting much more heat than I had been. It has been a learning curve and my wife thought that we wasted a bunch of money after the first year. I kept assuring her that I would learn what I was doing and now she is finally believing that we can stay really warm using just wood.

I don't know any different, but I have been really happy with our stove. I just needed to learn what the heck I was doing. I think I will continue to get more comfortable as time passes too.

 

[yanksforever]

Mansfield.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

This is the 3rd year that I have heated with the Heritage. The first year was terrible, I had never heated with wood and relied on this board to get me through the rough times. The 2nd season was much better. I had wood that I cut and knew was dry, but was still learning the "ins and outs" of the stove. This season things are going great so far. I'm using much less wood and getting much more heat than I had been. It has been a learning curve and my wife thought that we wasted a bunch of money after the first year. I kept assuring her that I would learn what I was doing and now she is finally believing that we can stay really warm using just wood.

I don't know any different, but I have been really happy with our stove. I just needed to learn what the heck I was doing. I think I will continue to get more comfortable as time passes too.

So what you're saying is you bought a stove that took 2+ years to learn to operate? Really?