The options are kind of hard to tell apart. At first I was kind of keen on the US Stoves 2000, which has good reviews on Tractor Supply and elsewhere and is on sale for less than $700. I was willing to learn how to do the installation myself, but when I called the company to feel them out, I had a terrible experience. Like, really awful. If I end up needing any warranty help or have questions, there's no way in heck I can trust buying a stove from them.
That experience was so off putting I've decided to buy a stove from a local store and have them do the installation. There are two stores and both offer the True North TN20 as their baseline model. Our budget can accommodate a slightly higher price point and we like the look of them better. The step up from the True North is the Osburn 1600 and the Enviro 1200 Kodiak. I don't like how the ash pan looks on the Kodiak, and frankly I don't require one. But setting aside the looks, which one tends to be the better stove?
It gets down to the 30s here in our area, rarely any colder. It'd be nice having a stove that heats throughout the night, but it's not necessary like it was when I was living in Alaska. I'm not sure how to choose a stove for our price range. The Osburn is 10% off right now and the installer charges less than the company that sells the Kodiak. But how do these stoves perform?
I've done a lot of reading but can't seem to find anything that helps shed some light on these stoves and how they differ and whether one tends to be preferred over the other.
I'm going to call both companies and ask some questions. I like the idea of buying from a company that offers good customer support. Does anyone here have any recommendations for me?
That experience was so off putting I've decided to buy a stove from a local store and have them do the installation. There are two stores and both offer the True North TN20 as their baseline model. Our budget can accommodate a slightly higher price point and we like the look of them better. The step up from the True North is the Osburn 1600 and the Enviro 1200 Kodiak. I don't like how the ash pan looks on the Kodiak, and frankly I don't require one. But setting aside the looks, which one tends to be the better stove?
It gets down to the 30s here in our area, rarely any colder. It'd be nice having a stove that heats throughout the night, but it's not necessary like it was when I was living in Alaska. I'm not sure how to choose a stove for our price range. The Osburn is 10% off right now and the installer charges less than the company that sells the Kodiak. But how do these stoves perform?
I've done a lot of reading but can't seem to find anything that helps shed some light on these stoves and how they differ and whether one tends to be preferred over the other.
I'm going to call both companies and ask some questions. I like the idea of buying from a company that offers good customer support. Does anyone here have any recommendations for me?
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If they have floor models, look carefully at the stoves inside and out to get a feel for the quality as far as execution and materials used...door latch system, secondary baffle, etc. Also think about cleaning the chimney; Is it easy to remove the baffle, is it prone to damage, etc. (But maybe you will farm that task out.) You can read the makers' spiels on the stoves on their websites, and pull up the manuals to possibly see better how the stoves are constructed, maintenance procedures etc.
