Vermont Castings Woodstove

[Henz]

Hello all, new to the forums..Looking into getting a woodstove in the very near future. Looking at the Avalons and Vermont Castings. Been hearing alot of negetative things about the new Vermont Castings stoves quality wise>?any thought or comments would be appreciated.

 

[lopisloser]

I don't know much about those kinds .I just put in a Lopi Endeavor and am very disappointed. The paint chipped off the top within the first two weeks. I did everything the instructions said about curing the paint . I tried contacting Kurt Rumens of Travis Industries and he never responded.I don't know what he should do anyways, but he could have replied to my letter. I hope you have better luck. Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[elkimmeg]

In recent months Harman got bashed Jotul and many other stoves there are threads here to back that up
We have had very few VC bashings since 2002 And most got resolved. True from 1995 -1999 Vc QC wained
but when one makes 50,000 stoves a year some not all had issues I suggest you read thew these entire post and come to a conclusion

Vc is the only stove manufactured with a working foundry in USA. VC makes the cleannest wood stove the EPA ever tested

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/1706/

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/1597/

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/1432/

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/1509/

 

[webbie]

I don't know much about those kinds .I just put in a Lopi Endeavor and am very disappointed. The paint chipped off the top within the first two weeks. I did everything the instructions said about curing the paint . I tried contacting Kurt Rumens of Travis Industries and he never responded.I don't know what he should do anyways, but he could have replied to my letter. I hope you have better luck. Thanks for letting me vent.

Heck, Bush doesn't respond to my questions about my tax bill either......

Paint is something you should contact your dealer about or else take care of yourself. It is easy to do - a little steel wool or sandpaper and a spritz or two.

Kurt has been on the road at the industry trade show for a couple weeks, and it surely could be tough for him to answer questions about paint - although knowing him, he would if he could!

That's what dealers are for.

As to why it happened, I suppose in the rush of trying to get stoves out this season, someone on the production line slipped a little on the sandblasting or painting end....

Stoves, other than enamled ones, are not like cars in that the finish is very low tech and easily redone in the field. Call the dealer - at the least they should give you a can of paint and instructions...at the best they'll stop by and fix it for you.

 

[webbie]

In recent months Harman got bashed Jotul and many other stoves there are threads

This year was probably tough for all the stove companies due to great demand and all those newbies firing up their stoves at the same time.

I always liked VC stoves....but I do have a beef with some of their models. That is "cost of ownership". This refers to both cat (Encore) and non-cat (Acclaim) units. I have run into a number of customers that have needed many hundreds of dollars worth of parts within the first 5-6 years of ownership - usually after the warranty has expired. As Elk well knows, the cost for just the cat parts (converter, housing, fireback and gaskets) can easily reach 1/4 to 1/3 the price of a new stove.

I admit to not being schooled in their newer models. However, it will take a number of years of hard use to prove those!

I would still buy one because I could probably pick up parts reasonable and fix it myself. But whether I would suggest one to a 6 cord a year burner to spend their last $$ on is another thing. In other words, it's somewhat like a Mercedes - quality engineering that sometimes goes overboard with parts and parts pricing...all which make the cost of ownership high.

Not to say this is true of all models. The older Resolutes and Vigilants are especially durable (but dirty).

I can say this as a dealer of VC and a number of other models. We had more warrany calls with VC than with any other brand....again, due somewhat to the complicated engineering and construction.

I think they build the stove just about as well as it can be built. However, all being equal, a stove with 35 parts may be more reliable and cost less over a decade or two than one with 250+ parts.

Maybe VC should offer an extended warranty which could put these concerns to rest. It would be nice to buy one and spend an extra 10% for coverage up to 8 or 10 years!

 

[Shane]

Your stove should have come with a can of paint for touch ups. IF not its Stove Bright Metallic black a can of it will cost around 10.00 and you can probably paint an endeavor with just one can. Next thing you know you'll be expecting to hear from Bill Ford concerning that rattle in your new dash

Henz,
Try holding off on your purchase for a few months. Lopi just introduced a non-cat cast iron top loading wood burner that you can put a blower on. Nice stove, should be at least considered in the running for your purchase. Has everything that the Encore has with a Lopi warranty. Either stove would be a great investment. The Everburn technology is solid, lowest emmisions I've seen and is made of a solid material that should hold up well, though as Craig said the test of time will tell.

 

[Mo Heat]

... However, all being equal, a stove with 35 parts may be more reliable and cost less over a decade or two than one with 250+ parts.

I though my Winter Warm Large held the Guinness Book of World Records honor with 150+ parts? 250+ parts? GOOD LORD!

 

[bmur]

I think shopping for stoves in some ways is like buy a car. Make sure you shop around and find a good dealer that believes in their product. There is so many stove makers that make so many stoves, you should be able to get what your looking for. The dealer is your second best contact when you have problems
This site is of course number 1 best place to get answers..

Some questions I asked were

1 Do I want a top loader or side loader
2 Cat vs non cat
3 Cast iron, steal or soapstone
4 Burn times
5 is the stove in a family room?. do i need function and looks?
6 Hearth size can i meet code
7 house sq footage, actual area I want to heat.

 

[elkimmeg]

Dylan are you looking to get bashed? Im' not into that type of posting. The other problem I have ,with so many oppertunities to bash, where I would start? Best not to get started. I know of people getting banned. Besides if we work together, maybe we can find a decent modern used Defiant to replace that aging Villigant.

 

[Shane]

I got a shiny red madison I'd let go real cheap. Never even had a fire in it.

 

[elkimmeg]

8. Flue collar connector VC Defiants and Encores have 8" flue collar adapters. However, as an option there is a 6" adapter collar

 

[elkimmeg]

I got a shiny red madison I'd let go real cheap. Never even had a fire in it.

No sense having a discontinued model sitting in the showroom?. Boy does that red sound intriguing beatifull looking stove
What do you mean chaep PM me if you do not want to post the price

 

[Shane]

That's a reasonable assumption. I've never been sure about why they did that either maybe they thought it looked cool. Same way with their DV gas you have to use a special adapter section to use simpson duravent pipe. It's a real pain in the neck when you forget to order them!