Upsizing from a Jotul f400. Should I buy a new f500 v3, or an older used Jotul Firelight 12?

[Propane_Poor]

Hey all. We are building a 1k sq ft addition onto our home and the f400 Castine won't be big enough.
Someone near me has a Firelight top/front loader for $1k, minor surface rust and a cracked burn plate but otherwise good shape. Wondering if we should get that and spruce it up, or if we should get a new model from a retailer?

I don't really know how the new EPA stoves work. Longer burn times would be awesome though.

 

[bholler]

Hey all. We are building a 1k sq ft addition onto our home and the f400 Castine won't be big enough.
Someone near me has a Firelight top/front loader for $1k, minor surface rust and a cracked burn plate but otherwise good shape. Wondering if we should get that and spruce it up, or if we should get a new model from a retailer?

I don't really know how the new EPA stoves work. Longer burn times would be awesome though.

Absolutely not the firelight. They quite honestly are horrible stoves.

The 500 v3 durability is still in question. They had some issues they claim to have addressed but we don't know if that worked yet

 

[Propane_Poor]

Oh wow I didn't know that. I thought they were the f600 and a step up from the f500. Thanks and glad I asked

 

[begreen]

We went from the F400 to the PE Alderlea T6. As much as we liked the Jotul, the PE has been a huge improvement all around. It will be going season 14 this year.

 

[begreen]

Oh wow I didn't know that. I thought they were the f600 and a step up from the f500. Thanks and glad I asked

The F500 and F600 were decent stoves but internally quite different from the F500v3 and old F12 Firelight.

PS: Although it doesn't pass the new 2020 rules, the F400 Castine is a modern EPA stove. So are the F550v2 and F600.

 

[EbS-P]

If you are wanting a good value check out Drolet. They have some stoves that qualify for the tax credit. Not as good looking as a Jotul but for the price they are decent. But a T6 even without the credit would be my choice for a good looking great performer if I had extra spend.

 

[Todd]

Another option if you want to stick with Jotul is their F55.

 

[D. Hermit]

F12 firelight is the worst stove.

Now there is a small carryover for a couple years where they used “firelight cb” which was the same front doors at the F12, but the rest of the stove was a f600.

F600 is a very capable stove, but many have been abused. You will rarely find one on the used market that doesnt have a cracked firebottom. Which is a very expensive fix.

Your best bet if you want a f600 is to find a stove shop that specializes in rebuilds of those more modern stoves.

 

[Doug864]

F12 firelight is the worst stove.

Now there is a small carryover for a couple years where they used “firelight cb” which was the same front doors at the F12, but the rest of the stove was a f600.

F600 is a very capable stove, but many have been abused. You will rarely find one on the used market that doesnt have a cracked firebottom. Which is a very expensive fix.

Your best bet if you want a f600 is to find a stove shop that specializes in rebuilds of those more modern stoves.

Hello from a new member and thanks for being accepted.
The firelight was a pain in the butt for me. What is the main reason they were so lousy?

 

[D. Hermit]

Hello from a new member and thanks for being accepted.
The firelight was a pain in the butt for me. What is the main reason they were so lousy?

Lots of parts like the selector like to fail, and the combustion chamber is just not economical to replace when it fails.

The interior of the stove in general is prone to cracks on the fire bottom, and the whole stove requires too much maintenance.