Vermont vs. Okanagan - any news?

[Stentor1]

I'm trying to decide which to buy this year. I have always preferred Okies especially because they give good heat with low ash. (Taking care of ash is sometimes a problem for me.) Vermont is pretty good but Okies have been excellent.

Yet comments on this site show that quality of Okies seems to vary from year to year. Anything new this year?

Has there been any change in pellet quality this year? (There is a $40 difference in price and I buy 4 tons.)

 

[oldmountvernon]

last year Oakies were much hotter for me. they are pretty clean too, but vermonts gave so little ash

 

[CT Pellet]

Vermont is pretty good but Okies have been excellent.​

I agree!
Vermont Wood Pellets have been proven winners coming right out of the gate. They make a good product and they contribute to the industry's mission of creating "happy" pellet burners by making a pellet that is non-problematic and they make a better pellet than many other competing brands out there. Okanagan, however is beyond that, and has earned themselves a rank among some of the most elite pellets in the industry. The Okanagan pellet is made of nice clean, dry fiber with absolutely no bark. They have a super low moisture content and as a result, burn hotter than virtually every pellet available. Vermont on the other hand, although an excellent pellet, uses standing timber to make wood pellets. In doing so, the drying process to get a tree from 40% moisture to under 6% moisture can be very, very expensive. Furthermore, by having absolute control over the incoming fiber like Okanagan has, there will be almost absolute consistency. If what you are looking at doing is buying four tons, then your total cost will be circa $1200. $40 may seem like a lot of money in August, but do not let that $40 buy you remorse in January. You will not go "wrong" with Vermonts but you will go "WAY RIGHT!" with the Okanagans!

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

IMHO Vermont Wood pellets are the best around these parts with the exception of the Douglas Fir pellets....even then it is very close. I had less ash with Vermont. Really when it comes down to pellets of this caliber, and others like Turmans the difference in performance is minuscule so I would go with a brand I have used before and price difference as the driver of my decision.

 

[CT Pellet]

so I would go with a brand I have used before and price difference as the driver of my decision.​

Bingo! There is a tremendous value in buying a pellet that you have used before and that you know works well. There is always an inherent gamble on the buyer's end when you buy four tons of something that you have never tried, regardless of how well it does with these "online reviews".....The only review that really counts is yours and how it does in your stove.

 

[midfielder]

The famous Takeman chart (old news):

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b161/midfielder/TakemanChart1_zps6be6c7ad.jpg~original

 

[Lousyweather]

please be careful to note that year-by-year, pellet qualities can change, and sometimes pretty drastically (even within the same brand!)

 

[Stentor1]

I wound up buying Black Hills, partly because the dealer couldn't guarantee the four tons of Okanagans I wanted. I compared the labels of both and they seem comparable. This may turn into buyer's remorse. I was quite happy to stick with Okanagan for the last couple of years.

By November I'll let you know if think I'm a smart pellet buyer or if I made a mistake, compounded by poor research.

Thanks to all of you for your comments.

 

[Stentor1]

Incidentally, the dealer told me that Okanagans are in a little less supply because the BC company is selling more to Russia. I'm a little sceptical unless they found a cheap way to ship to Vladivostock.

 

[jtakeman]

please be careful to note that year-by-year, pellet qualities can change, and sometimes pretty drastically (even within the same brand!)

There is always an exception, Take Turmans for example. Rock solid since 2008.

I wound up buying Black Hills, partly because the dealer couldn't guarantee the four tons of Okanagans I wanted. I compared the labels of both and they seem comparable. This may turn into buyer's remorse. I was quite happy to stick with Okanagan for the last couple of years.

Okies got a slight edge over the BHH in my stove. But both did very well. Did you get a price break with the BHH?

Incidentally, the dealer told me that Okanagans are in a little less supply because the BC company is selling more to Russia. I'm a little sceptical unless they found a cheap way to ship to Vladivostock.

I haven't heard Okies going to Russia. Europe is the term used in general. BC mills aren't the only ones selling them to Europe. We have many mills in the US doing the same. Some are strictly making them for exporting to Europe. Wood fiber in many forms is a major export for both US and Canada. Europe has a lack of the stuff.

Pretty sure Russia is also a major supplier of wood fiber to many other countries. Not sure they even need ours.