I have been burning my Princess insert over the past 2 months and thought I would post my thoughts about the Princess vs. my former stoves (and in particular, my last stove the Avalon Olympic).
A little history….. I have in the last 10 years burned a step-top non-EPA Fisher, a new VC large Dutchwest cat, and an Avalon Olympic. I was very happy with the performance of my Avalon stove. My decision to switch to a Princess was based on reviews from this forum, the long shoulder season here in MD, the tax rebate, and the $1,200 I got for my used but like-new Olympic... I read all the posts and there were not any negatives coming from Blaze King owners. It sounded sort of cult-ish, but those long burn times sure sounded nice and the Olympic did not have great burn times with small loads (and maxed out at about 9 hours even full of oak). I went through a terrific amount of wood in 2008/2009.
Right away I was a thrilled with my purchase. The operation seemed simple compared to my Dutchwest, and even easier than with the Avalon. The whole concept of the catalytic converter came back to me like riding a bike, and it is soooooo much easier than with the VC. Instead of 2 air controls with no index to either, there is one air control with an index. After 2 months I remain thrilled and thought I’d share my PRO’s and CON’s.
CON’s
1) Blackened glass and lack of flame view. It's now second nature for me, upon seeing any flame at all, to dial down the thermostat. It just feels like I'm wasting wood. So while no smoke leaves my stack, my glass stays mostly black and I do miss the view.
2) Cheap plastic air contol and fan knobs. They work, but I'd like something a little nicer.
3) Smaller door than my Olympic. I fail to see why the door could not be 4 or 5" wider. That would be great. I miss the giant door on my Olympic.
4) The cat temp dial is not easy to view. You have to be over the stove to even see it. Likewise the air control index is low and to the side of the stove. Again, not easy to view. I need to get on my hands and knees with my head on the side of the stove to see the index marks (thought this is partly due to my set-up).
PRO’s
1) Long burns. Crazy long. Leave for work at 6:15, come home at 5 and the cat is still active and there are hefty chunks of blackened wood glowing. That's with a stove not crammed with wood, packed mostly full, but not trying hard to jam it full. Just amazing.
2) Simple operation. Open one lever, open the door. Add wood. Close the door. Close the lever. Come back in 9-12 hours. I find myself only loading a log or two at a time just so I have an excuse to mess with the stove (see #1). Even with small loads there is never a need to mess with the controls.
3) Wood savings. Last year I burned a wheelbarrow full a day. I have cut that in half. I don't expect anyone to believe it, I wouldn't if it wasn't my stove, but it's the same wheelbarrow and I'm not getting any younger. I'm thinking that instead of two years worth of wood in my yard I have at a minimum three and maybe even four. It makes me giddy just contemplating it.
4) Temperature control. When it's in the 50's during the day and high 30's at night, I can keep my room comfortable by setting the thermostat down to 1 or 1.5. I could never keep my Avalon from driving me out of the room during these temps. I have not had to open a window yet.
5) Fast light-off. This has amazed me. From a cold stove, I can get the cat engaged in 15-20 minutes. The big pieces are just barely lighting off, the stove is barely hot, but the cat is lighting off. I did not expect this benefit, but it happens every time. The Avalon would take 30-40 minutes at a minimum before I had a chance at a good secondary burn.
6) Hearth floor temperature. Despite the stove sticking out a few inches farther, my hearth stays much more cool to the touch no matter how I'm running the stove (both stoves sat right on my concrete and brick hearth with no legs or spacers). With the Olympic my hardwood floor immediately in front of the door would get somewhere between warm and hot. Not hot enough to worry about a fire, but hotter than I liked. No longer, for whatever reason this is just not an issue. I think the lighter, better insulated firebricks may be the difference here.
7) Overall solid feel. The lever handles are chunks of wood. The door is substantial in heft. The cat lever locks into place with a hearty THUNK. It's 150 lbs or so lighter than the Olympic, but manages to feel more solid (no more rattling trim, for instance).
UNKNOWN
Chimney? I never had any problems with significant creosote buildup with the Avalon. It’s too early to tell how the Princess will do.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Princess is the real deal folks. I could barely be more pleased with its performance. For me the PRO’s vasty outweight the CON’s. They will get this stove from me when the pry it from my warm, dead hands (cause if they find me within 12 or 14 hours of my passing, the stove will still be rolling)....
A little history….. I have in the last 10 years burned a step-top non-EPA Fisher, a new VC large Dutchwest cat, and an Avalon Olympic. I was very happy with the performance of my Avalon stove. My decision to switch to a Princess was based on reviews from this forum, the long shoulder season here in MD, the tax rebate, and the $1,200 I got for my used but like-new Olympic... I read all the posts and there were not any negatives coming from Blaze King owners. It sounded sort of cult-ish, but those long burn times sure sounded nice and the Olympic did not have great burn times with small loads (and maxed out at about 9 hours even full of oak). I went through a terrific amount of wood in 2008/2009.
Right away I was a thrilled with my purchase. The operation seemed simple compared to my Dutchwest, and even easier than with the Avalon. The whole concept of the catalytic converter came back to me like riding a bike, and it is soooooo much easier than with the VC. Instead of 2 air controls with no index to either, there is one air control with an index. After 2 months I remain thrilled and thought I’d share my PRO’s and CON’s.
CON’s
1) Blackened glass and lack of flame view. It's now second nature for me, upon seeing any flame at all, to dial down the thermostat. It just feels like I'm wasting wood. So while no smoke leaves my stack, my glass stays mostly black and I do miss the view.
2) Cheap plastic air contol and fan knobs. They work, but I'd like something a little nicer.
3) Smaller door than my Olympic. I fail to see why the door could not be 4 or 5" wider. That would be great. I miss the giant door on my Olympic.
4) The cat temp dial is not easy to view. You have to be over the stove to even see it. Likewise the air control index is low and to the side of the stove. Again, not easy to view. I need to get on my hands and knees with my head on the side of the stove to see the index marks (thought this is partly due to my set-up).
PRO’s
1) Long burns. Crazy long. Leave for work at 6:15, come home at 5 and the cat is still active and there are hefty chunks of blackened wood glowing. That's with a stove not crammed with wood, packed mostly full, but not trying hard to jam it full. Just amazing.
2) Simple operation. Open one lever, open the door. Add wood. Close the door. Close the lever. Come back in 9-12 hours. I find myself only loading a log or two at a time just so I have an excuse to mess with the stove (see #1). Even with small loads there is never a need to mess with the controls.
3) Wood savings. Last year I burned a wheelbarrow full a day. I have cut that in half. I don't expect anyone to believe it, I wouldn't if it wasn't my stove, but it's the same wheelbarrow and I'm not getting any younger. I'm thinking that instead of two years worth of wood in my yard I have at a minimum three and maybe even four. It makes me giddy just contemplating it.
4) Temperature control. When it's in the 50's during the day and high 30's at night, I can keep my room comfortable by setting the thermostat down to 1 or 1.5. I could never keep my Avalon from driving me out of the room during these temps. I have not had to open a window yet.
5) Fast light-off. This has amazed me. From a cold stove, I can get the cat engaged in 15-20 minutes. The big pieces are just barely lighting off, the stove is barely hot, but the cat is lighting off. I did not expect this benefit, but it happens every time. The Avalon would take 30-40 minutes at a minimum before I had a chance at a good secondary burn.
6) Hearth floor temperature. Despite the stove sticking out a few inches farther, my hearth stays much more cool to the touch no matter how I'm running the stove (both stoves sat right on my concrete and brick hearth with no legs or spacers). With the Olympic my hardwood floor immediately in front of the door would get somewhere between warm and hot. Not hot enough to worry about a fire, but hotter than I liked. No longer, for whatever reason this is just not an issue. I think the lighter, better insulated firebricks may be the difference here.
7) Overall solid feel. The lever handles are chunks of wood. The door is substantial in heft. The cat lever locks into place with a hearty THUNK. It's 150 lbs or so lighter than the Olympic, but manages to feel more solid (no more rattling trim, for instance).
UNKNOWN
Chimney? I never had any problems with significant creosote buildup with the Avalon. It’s too early to tell how the Princess will do.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Princess is the real deal folks. I could barely be more pleased with its performance. For me the PRO’s vasty outweight the CON’s. They will get this stove from me when the pry it from my warm, dead hands (cause if they find me within 12 or 14 hours of my passing, the stove will still be rolling)....
