What brand catalyst for Encore?

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Eman85

Minister of Fire
Oct 10, 2022
1,162
E TN
I have an early Defiant Encore and want to replace the catalyst. I see them sold on Amazon and a few other retailers. Condar is one manufacturer I see that states they manufacture in NC. Do brands matter? Are there many manufacturers of these catalysts or are they mostly selling the same part? What brand has anyone used and been satisfied with?
 
So the cat that came with my encore .. from the factory was a fire cat.. the manufacturer is applied ceramics.. you can order from them directly.. you will need to look up to see which cat is yours.. as I posted in the other thread i also purchased the steel cat.. works well lights off quick.. you may want to read the 22/23 vc thread above..

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What's interesting is when I go to Applied Ceramics site and find the catalyst combustor and click on it to buy it takes me right to Midwest Hearth's site and their combustor.
 
I spoke to Paula at Applied Ceramics, they now sell through Midwest Hearth as distribution is handled by them now. She was very helpful and we came to the conclusion that my stove takes an ACI 5C for ceramic or ACI 5M for metal combustor. I will order through Midwest Hearth either direct or through Amazon as it's free shipping either way. She also stated they Applied Ceramics is the supplier of combustors for new VC stoves. I tried contacting VC through the parent company of Hearth and Home but they automatically send you to a dealer. I would say it will be hard to find a dealer that is familiar with older stoves. I called the original selling dealer of this stove and they are still in business ut no one there that knows old stoves.
 
I spoke to Paula at Applied Ceramics, they now sell through Midwest Hearth as distribution is handled by them now. She was very helpful and we came to the conclusion that my stove takes an ACI 5C for ceramic or ACI 5M for metal combustor. I will order through Midwest Hearth either direct or through Amazon as it's free shipping either way. She also stated they Applied Ceramics is the supplier of combustors for new VC stoves. I tried contacting VC through the parent company of Hearth and Home but they automatically send you to a dealer. I would say it will be hard to find a dealer that is familiar with older stoves. I called the original selling dealer of this stove and they are still in business ut no one there that knows old stoves.

its a shame they dont sell direct anymore.. thanks for the information and update
 
Spoke to Midwest Hearth, really nice helpful guy, and I made sure I was getting the right combustor. Ordered it online and it's been shipped out already. It appears that Applied Ceramics is the major producer of the catalyst, even if it's just the catalyst section and others put some finishing touches on it like the metal surround.
 
Just a follow up. Midwest Hearth gave great service, constant updates on package tracking and the catalyst arrived today. Well packaged and shipped UPS.