Vermont Castings - How Good Are They Now?

[leeave96]

My Dad had a Vermont Castings Defiant wood stove years ago and it was a good one.

I've read a lot of posts on several forums that make me think I should avoid VC due to turnover, quality and warranty issues.

Based on replies to one of my posts, I am considering buying a new Vermont Castings Intrepid II wood stove.

What are your thoughts on this brand wood stove for buying new?

Thanks!
Bill

 

[BrowningBAR]

My Dad had a Vermont Castings Defiant wood stove years ago and it was a good one.

I've read a lot of posts on several forums that make me think I should avoid VC due to turnover, quality and warranty issues.

Based on replies to one of my posts, I am considering buying a new Vermont Castings Intrepid II wood stove.

What are your thoughts on this brand wood stove for buying new?

Thanks!
Bill

How big of a space would you be attempting to heat with the Intrepid?

 

[begreen]

The original Intrepid and the current Intrepid II are different animals. The new stove is catalytic. Based on what I have seen locally, one can expect to replace the refractory assembly in the current generation Intrepid about once every 5-7 years. It's still a good looking little stove, and the only top loader in its size, but it's worth considering alternatives, including front loaders while looking.

If a top-loader is important, and you like to tinker a bit, then you might consider carefully watching craigslist and eBay for a good condition original VC Resolute I. It will take a larger log and has greater capacity.

 

[leeave96]

[/quote]How big of a space would you be attempting to heat with the Intrepid?[/quote]

We would be heating a room just over 200 sq ft. There are two roooms that are next to this room, so heat could make it's way into the other rooms by two doors.

Thanks!
Bill

 

[BrowningBAR]

The original Intrepid and the current Intrepid II are different animals. Based on what I have seen locally, you can expect to replace the refractory assembly in the current generation Intrepid about once every 5-7 years.

And to expand on that, the cost to replace those parts will run you $350-$500 depending upon where you buy. Additionally, there is sometimes a wait time of 4 to 8 weeks to get parts, if not longer, if you deal with a dealer (at least that was the quote for me from two different VC dealers).

Even though my VCs run great, they are older models, I would not buy a new VC if I had to buy another stove. If I am going to purchase a $2,000-$3,000 stove, I want something with a better track record.

There are many VC owners that love there stoves. There are many VC owners that hate their stoves.

 

[BrowningBAR]

How big of a space would you be attempting to heat with the Intrepid?

We would be heating a room just over 200 sq ft. There are two roooms that are next to this room, so heat could make it's way into the other rooms by two doors.

Thanks!
Bill

Are you looking to drastically cut down on your heating bill, or would this just be used to take the chill off when you are home on the weekends?

 

[leeave96]

This stove would be totally optional for heat. We'd like a wood stove, one that is easy on the eye and something to just go through the exercises of cutting wood and burning it!

 

[SolarAndWood]

After my VC experience(s), I wouldn't recommend them to anyone trying to heat their house. However, for your intended use and goals, they are beautiful stoves that will likely last a long time burned the way you say you intend to. Have you looked at Woodstock?

 

[firefighterjake]

This stove would be totally optional for heat. We'd like a wood stove, one that is easy on the eye and something to just go through the exercises of cutting wood and burning it!

Have you looked at Jotuls or PEs . . . these brands were at the top of my list when I was looking at stoves . . . good for 24/7 or the occasional burner . . . they look sharp (in my opinion) and seem to be pretty solidly built. In my own opinion, while I like the looks of my Jotul Oslo for me one of the biggest selling points was the number of folks here who said in the forum (and in the reviews) that the stove had few issues with repairs . . . and honestly . . . for me . . . this is the most important thing since it doesn't matter if you're heating all winter long or you just need your stove to work and work well in that power outage -- when you want heat, having a dependable stove with all the working parts in working order is the most important thing . . . in my opinion.

 

[CarbonNeutral]

I would be looking for a nice second hand reliable stove (Jotul, but I would say that), or any number of other great stoves.

 

[zzr7ky]

I have a VC Resolute Acclaim doing 90% of the heating in a 330 square foot room of a fairly open 2200 sq. ft. ranch. It's the 4th year and I will spend a $300 or so on replacing parts this year.

It functions well. I'm sure it would be fine indefinately for ocassional use.

I would not consider the Intrepid due to is small size. I would go up to at least a Jotul 3 and a larger one might be better; especially for overnight burns.

Most folks buying a second stove go larger.

All the best,
Mike

 

[logger]

I was pretty bent on going with a VC last year, but after hearing the same things you put in your post, I decided on Jotul and love my decision thus far. Looks great and was our sole source of heat 24/7 all fall and winter. Best of luck.
P.S. My uncle also has an older VC that works great, but I dont think they still make them like that.

 

[nayoung31]

We used a VC Intrepid II for 18 years and didn't have any problems with it until the end.
On the plus side, the top loading is great and it heats well for it's size.
BUT, it does take only a 16-17 inch MAX log which makes for a lot of shortening of the wood, and VC doesn't seem to make stoves as well as they used to.
We just purchased a new stove and didn't go with VC (wanted a larger stove and went with a Hearthstone Heritage)but we did love our Intrepid II and it gave us 17 years of pretty much trouble free use.

Good luck!

 

[ddown]

When did VC really go downhill? the basic cat defiant is still the same stove some folks have 18-20 years. I know they had onership changes but what could cause this original sound design to go so bad. I never seen this addressed.

 

[webbie]

ddown, I assume you are talking about the Defiant Encore, which I think came out about 20 years ago. In most respects that can be a great stove, however it must be installed and used right. It is not as much for "abuse" as many other stoves are....basically it is a finer piece of equipment. With the proper chimney, wood and operator it is one of the cleanest stoves made and produces long burns and even heat.

VC went through some major changes during the period from about 1995 to 2008. At the end, there was a relatively full blown bankruptcy of CFM corporation, their owner. The whole story is too long to go into, but to make the long story short they fell WAY short on their old reputation for customer service. They became very corporate, when before they had been personal. They stopped caring about their existing dealers and customers, and went for sales where ever they could find them. They even made a lot of stuff (most BBQ) in China!

It stands to reason that during some of that time the stoves were not made with as much "love" as they often were. When the company was finally sold for peanuts at bankruptcy, the new company refused to stand behind the warranties of the older stoves.....which IMHO was not a good PR move.

But now it's a few years later and I know they have been trying to rebrand and rework the plant and the stoves. I have not been keeping up, but hopefully with the new owners they can build their reputation up again. No one ever doubted the quality of their castings, their enamel finishes and many of the neat features like top loading. Most of the problems, frankly, were in the area of customer service- that is, how they handled their problems. At one point they doubled and tripled parts prices in an attempt to gain profitability. That really killed a lot of the old owners trying to service their stoves!

So that's the short story....

 

[ddown]

Thanks Craig,
I think a lot of folks might have had these questions. Thanks for the answers and insight that you have. I listened to a couple of podcasts I thought you might know the answers.

 

[Fsappo]

Having sold both the Intrepid and Intrepid II back in the day, Id have to say for your usage, that stove would be fun for you to use. The top load is neat to play with. The stove is very sharp looking, and with moderate "hobby" use you may only have to replace the guts in 10 years. Just dont expect miracles when dealing with VC in regards to customer service. It aint like the old days of the summer picnics in vermont and the guys at VC all knowing their dealers by name.

If you do go new, try to buy one from a dealer who has a good BBB rating, can show you references and that you feel comfortable with. You can even ask them how they handle warranty issues , etc.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Just dont expect miracles when dealing with VC in regards to customer service. It aint like the old days of the summer picnics in vermont and the guys at VC all knowing their dealers by name.

If you do go new, try to buy one from a dealer who has a good BBB rating, can show you references and that you feel comfortable with. You can even ask them how they handle warranty issues , etc.

It could be, 10 years from now they will be back on top.. hard to see the future is ...

 

[bmwloco]

Excellent point. Time could change VC... plus the right people and realistic production expectations. Done right, it could be what it once was...

Anyone care to step into that breach?

Sitting here beside my vintage VC Intrepid in the garage. She is stately in the summer, and keeps the garage warm in the winter, safely.

The Resolute I in the living room is the workhorse that I play my game. If the heat kicks on, the stove must be lit to turn off the house heater. Now, our new dog,
Elroy, brings kindling to the stove and drops it when HE wants a fire.

Maybe it would be good if VC came back, but maybe it's just about nostalgia. Any good stove is, well, good.