I am new to the wood stove world but got a VC Dauntless installed in August. So far I am very happy with it and I love the top loading option. The VC Intrepid is a bit smaller and I believe it like slightly shorter splits - something to keep in mind when getting your wood. In the Dauntless (and I think the Intrepid) the ash pan holder swings out from underneath and I just dump the ashes into an ash can I keep on the hearth. I empty the ash pan and clean the glass mornings after we used the stove. I don't have enough wood this year to burn all the time so I am just using the stove on colder evenings. We have had a surprisingly mild fall here but now its cooling down
Good luck with your purchase
Good luck with your purchase
