TSC -- some things never change.

[Mr._Graybeard]

I stopped in at my local Tractor Supply today and scoped out the pellets they had on the floor. Green Supremes were a new addition ... I know Lignetics recently bought Marth in northern Wisconsin. I wonder if that's connected. Marth have always burned OK for me, although dusty and ashy.

There was another brand on the floor as well, plain white bag with blue lettering. I checked out a bag and noticed a large, hard lump in one corner. Pellets for sale in the store. The last time I bought from TSC I returned 20 bags out of a ton for moisture damage. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, we won't get fooled again.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

My words are on the menu today. I bought two tons of Bio Power pellets this week from TSC. Great pellet, although they were shipped only a few weeks ago so they hadn't had time to compost in the storage yard. I hope this is a permanent change for the better.

 

[millerized]

There was another brand on the floor as well, plain white bag with blue lettering. I checked out a bag and noticed a large, hard lump in one corner. Pellets for sale in the store. The last time I bought from TSC I returned 20 bags out of a ton for moisture damage. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, we won't get fooled again.

Not to mention, you get all the corn that's fit for your daily diet. If you're into corn in your wood pellets that is.
Yeah, corn. Again.
Several years ago I posted the same thing, much to my disappointment...and some things never change. This year...more corn. Stove needs cleaned after 2 bags. Fortunately for me, there are only 48 more bags to burn through, so it's only 24 cleanings left.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Yeah, TSC has been pretty inconsistent IME. I've bought some great pellets from them over the years, but then they change suppliers and have absolute garbage. Then they sometimes bag pellets with their own packaging, so you have no idea what you're getting. All you can do is try a few bags if the stock looks promising.

 

[KurtGriffith]

Similar experince. TSC's generic Hardwood Pellet Feul (White bag Blue lettering) generally much smaller pellets, and a LOT of debris and fines. We has used Stove Chow from Home Depot last year, but due to COIVD-downturn we tried to save a bit of cash, our local TSC was close enough for pick-up, and we could save the delivery charge. When we picked up, we rejected several bags out of the ton, as they clearly had been water compromised in the yard. But earlier this week, had to dump a quarter-bag that was going mulch.

Finally got the stove tuned where I could go six bags between cleanings... LOT of fly ash and they dont burn very hot. Will likely be switching back to Stove Chow or Hamers next ton... Now excuse me while I go clean up a smouldering clinker bed...

 

[gfreek]

I've had good luck with the house branded TSC pellets in white bags over the years.... They burn OK , I've had worse such as Green Supreme that TSC is now selling. Good thing I only got 15 bags..

 

[n8qio]

I recently made the mistake of buying a whole ton of these and they (so far) have been the WORST I've burned in over 20 years of using a pellet stove. They don't burn nearly as hot as any other brand I have used in the past and the sooty build up on the glass is ridiculous. I've tried every thing I can think of to get them to perform better but nothing is helping. Probably going to have to get another brand and do a mix of the 2 just to get rid of them.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

It pays to try a few bags of the house brand before shelling out for a ton. That said, my local store has always been good about taking returns. Schlepping a ton of pellets back to the store is no fun, but if you're really unhappy I bet they'll take them back.

 

[n8qio]

I thought about seeing if they would take them back but as you said it's a pain to load them back up so I'm just going to go ahead and use them up and I will take your advice when trying the unknown and just buy a few bags. I have done this in the past but for some reason I let the fear of not being able to find some cloud my judgement

 

[gfreek]

So far this season the house brand have been "OK". Just got 6 more bags and lengths are short and they are super dusty, so have been screening them before use. Also had Greene Supreme there..may get them instead next time, at least you can see in the bag..

 

[clancey]

Yea in this day and age it is normal to have a cloudy mind in order to get ready for the future--"just in case", do not be too hard on yourself and I did the same thing by buying loads of firewood without the experience of knowing what I was getting into but I love my stove anyway and its been a learning experience---chalk it up and ship back...clancey

 

[ChrisWNY]

I've never had problems with the TSC house brand hardwood pellets in white bags w/blue lettering. They aren't the best for ash/fines but produce a decent amount of heat and are always chopped up consistently, so most pellets aren't longer than 1/2" or so. I usually burn 2-3 tons of them per season without problems. YMMV based on your stove and feed rate settings.

 

[gfreek]

I'm pretty much done with them for now anyways, burn up a few bags I have, and then the Fusion Blended pellets I got which I like..

 

[ChrisWNY]

I picked up about a dozen bags of Green Supremes from a local Runnings the other day, and they're burning nicely. I've read a lot of bad reviews of their pellets, so I was hesitant to buy them, but they're doing just fine. Also picked up 10 bags of Timber Heat pellets from Lowes which also seem to be burning well. Some of the "bad batches" I've bought in WNY appear to be bad entirely due to dampness and water exposure, which is the fault of the retailer for storing them outdoors and letting all sorts of snow pile up on them over the Winter. I bought a bad batch of North American pellets several years ago, a whole ton...they literally caused my auger to jam. Had to re-load 40 some bags back into my truck and return them. Haven't run into that problem since then, fortunately. I've never had problems with TSC's house brand in my area. Not the best pellets but they've been very consistent and burn best at higher feed rates. I haven't seen the Fusion blend in any of the stores where I usually buy pellets, but will give them a try if I have to buy a few more bags. By this time of year, unfortunately, most retailers get rid of their pellet supply and don't bother ordering any more. I get all my tons in the Fall, usually 3 tons does the job. A couple of winters ago, 2 tons was more than enough (and I heat entirely from wood pellets).

Toward the end of the season, if the Winter was cold (this one seemed colder than usual), I always find myself running around to scrounge up a couple dozen bags of random brands to get me through the shoulder season. Last year I had to burn well into the first half of May because we barely got out of the 40s (Buffalo area), then mid May hit and we slammed into Summer weather for the long term. Not sure what April and May will have in store for us this year, first half of April looks to be chilly.

 

[lowb35]

Burned through the 3.5 tons I bought at the beginning of the season here in the western Southern Tier, in the hills south of Rochester/Buffalo. (Wellsville/Alfred/Hornell area.) Our TSCs here usually have blue bagged Dry Creek even into the spring shoulder season but they've run out. They vary by year but this year seemed to be a good year for that manufacturer. Now our local TSCs have some from a new manufacturer out of Maryland, Eastern Shore Forest Products. Mostly in the blue bag but sometimes in the green softwood bag. I bought 6 bags to try. They burn hot, but super dirty. Also have excessive fines which need to be sifted to keep from clogging up my stove. Apparently they're made from understory trees so they probably have a lot of bark and such which explains the quality, or lack of: https://americanfarmpublications.com/expansion-intends-to-boost-wood-pellet-operation/

This past weekend the TSC in Painted Post had Eastern Shore in the green bag, but still had some blue bag Dry Creeks so I picked some of those up instead. I'm not usually out that way since that's about 45 minutes east of me, but I was passing through so I snagged some while I could. Hopefully they will get me through the end of heating season.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I picked up about a dozen bags of Green Supremes from a local Runnings the other day, and they're burning nicely. I've read a lot of bad reviews of their pellets, so I was hesitant to buy them, but they're doing just fine. Also picked up 10 bags of Timber Heat pellets from Lowes which also seem to be burning well. Some of the "bad batches" I've bought in WNY appear to be bad entirely due to dampness and water exposure, which is the fault of the retailer for storing them outdoors and letting all sorts of snow pile up on them over the Winter. I bought a bad batch of North American pellets several years ago, a whole ton...they literally caused my auger to jam. Had to re-load 40 some bags back into my truck and return them. Haven't run into that problem since then, fortunately. I've never had problems with TSC's house brand in my area. Not the best pellets but they've been very consistent and burn best at higher feed rates. I haven't seen the Fusion blend in any of the stores where I usually buy pellets, but will give them a try if I have to buy a few more bags. By this time of year, unfortunately, most retailers get rid of their pellet supply and don't bother ordering any more. I get all my tons in the Fall, usually 3 tons does the job. A couple of winters ago, 2 tons was more than enough (and I heat entirely from wood pellets).

Toward the end of the season, if the Winter was cold (this one seemed colder than usual), I always find myself running around to scrounge up a couple dozen bags of random brands to get me through the shoulder season. Last year I had to burn well into the first half of May because we barely got out of the 40s (Buffalo area), then mid May hit and we slammed into Summer weather for the long term. Not sure what April and May will have in store for us this year, first half of April looks to be chilly.

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Those Timber Creek pellets look pretty dark.
TSC leaves their pellets at the mercy of the elements. I usually buy by the ton, and I almost always have to return at least three or four bags because of moisture damage. The price is often right, though.
My local store had a Canadian pellet called BioPower and Green Supremes as well as a South Dakota softwood pellet called Rapid Fire. I didn't burn any Green Supremes but I went through 4 tons of BioPower and a ton of Rapid Fire. Both produced good heat but the BioPowers were ashy.