Wittus EGO Vs. Ecoteck Francesa Vs. Harman XXV. which one?

[CrowBean]

Home Depot in my area has 1 ton of "Premium Wood Pellets" for $197/ton. The problem I have is im looking online and assume i have to go to the store to see the brand. I am most likely going to purchase a Wittus Ego Pellet Stove tommorrow that the dealer recommends burning clear choice premium pellets. ($269/ton), (Even though i am still slightly debating the harman XXV and ecoteck francesa). Is there a brand of pellets i should stay away from? I will try and update the home depot brand near me

 

[Pellet-King]

Never heard of a Wittus and clear choice pellet's are not the clear choice to burn, sounds like he's scamming you to buy what he sell's, stick with name brand stoves, Harmon, etc

 

[defrob]

I just purchased an XXV and am very happy with it. Although, I haven't had a winter with it yet. As for pellets, I chose to purchase 5 tons all different brands to see which work best in my stove. They say an XXV can burn pretty much anything.

 

[DexterDay]

Never heard of a Wittus and clear choice pellet's are not the clear choice to burn, sounds like he's scamming you to buy what he sell's, stick with name brand stoves, Harmon, etc

Take a look at this.... Made in Italy.. Over 60 Different Programs... Can be ducted up to 25 ft away... It automatically adjusts to pellet size and density., compensating the combustion air.... It seems it may not matter what pellet you burn in it... Looks like a FANTASTIC Stove.... I would buy one of them over a Harman Any-day.... If I had the Money.

Many never heard of them, because they are not produced here.. Great Find.

http://www.wittus.com/catalogs/pellet flyer web.pdf

 

[CrowBean]

Thanks dexter for all your responses. the wittus stove does look very nice...i like 95 % sure thats the way im going but the XXV can burn any pellet grade which is very intriguing. do you have any info on the wittus burning any grade? ive seen some posts that you like harman, so im assuming the wittus sounds like a superior stove. The model I am looking at is the EGO which does not have the ductable option like the club suite or musa. I can get the EGO, install, tax, outside air kit, ash vac, hearth all for approximately 5k. what do ya think?

 

[DexterDay]

Thanks dexter for all your responses. the wittus stove does look very nice...i like 95 % sure thats the way im going but the XXV can burn any pellet grade which is very intriguing. do you have any info on the wittus burning any grade? ive seen some posts that you like harman, so im assuming the wittus sounds like a superior stove. The model I am looking at is the EGO which does not have the ductable option like the club suite or musa. I can get the EGO, install, tax, outside air kit, ash vac, hearth all for approximately 5k. what do ya think?

I do not have any real world time with one. So I can only base my decision on what I have read. All the technology in that stove will make it a good burner.. But... It will also make it exspensive to fix.. No stove is cheap to maintain. Eventually all stoves will need work. I wish I could tell that one is better than the other. Harman makes a Helluva product. But on paper Wittus makes a Great product too.

I wish I could help more. I paid over $4,000 for everything with my 1st (Quadrafire CB 1200).. The Harman will be close to that, give or take. So for an extra $700-$1,000, you are getting one of the most advanced stove's out there. Cant remember if its Franks (Almost positive its Franks) or smwilliamson... One of them is real familiar with the ecotech's and Rika's.. They are similar to these and they will know more. They (Cant remember which one) may chime in here soon.. Either way, both service stoves and may have seen one in person.

Go to EDIT on your original post up top and you change the name of the title, of this thread, so more people know exactly what your trying to get across. Seems to me that your more hung on what stove, as to what pellet? IMO

 

[jtakeman]

Member smwilliamson has an ecotek. Send him a PM.

Clear Choice is the stove dealers version of NEWP. $297 is a bit high for pellets IMHO. Check around I'm sure you will find better deals on fuel!.

Harmans do a good job, But if you truely want a stove that will burn any pellet. You might want to check out some multifuelers. They burn pellets plus many different fuels too! Enviro has a couple nice units. I have personally burned over 60 different pellet brands with mine. I haven't found one that it struggled to burn. Not to mention corn, grass, cherry pits, and to many others to list!

 

[DexterDay]

Member smwilliamson has an ecotek. Send him a PM.

Clear Choice is the stove dealers version of NEWP. $297 is a bit high for pellets IMHO. Check around I'm sure you will find better deals on fuel!.

Harmans do a good job, But if you truely want a stove that will burn any pellet. You might want to check out some multifuelers. They burn pellets plus many different fuels too! Enviro has a couple nice units. I have personally burned over 60 different pellet brands with mine. I haven't found one that it struggled to burn. Not to mention corn, grass, cherry pits, and to many others to list!

Absolutly true... Wish they still produced the Omega's.. Just the Maxx-M now.... Look's like the Wittus too. Burns any pellet. Because of the agitator, it will do it better than a Harman.

 

[imacman]

......the wittus stove does look very nice...i like 95 % sure thats the way im going.......what do ya think?

I think the stoves look great, but have you considered the service end of buying one? Is there a dealer near you to do service if needed? How expensive are parts? Are you handy enough to work on/fix it?

I also didn't see any mention of the warranty length, what it covers, etc, etc.....actually, I didn't see any mention of a warranty at all (maybe I just missed it?)

IMO, better get all this cleared-up before buying something that upon first light, looks like a great stove, but if problems arise and you can't get them fixed, that great system suddenly looks not-so-great.

 

[CrowBean]

imacman

those were actually all my questions for the dealer tmrw. i have a dealer who services and installs nearby. did my research on the dealer and he seems to have a real good rating among people as well as me liking him during our brief meeting (also emailed me 5 times answering my other questions). i believe, and dont quote me yet, the dealer will cover everything from install etc for 2 years. i believe 5 yr man warranty

 

[newf lover]

I would be very concerned about the cost of replacement parts. Instead of just asking a general question about this, ask the dealer for an actual cost of a replacement feed motor on a Harman (or whatever brand) and the Wittus Ego. I have friends who own Volvo cars and while they are a great car, the cost to maintain them is ridiculous. Did you take a look at the manual? I found it here-
http://www.wittus.com/Specs/pellet-Star-Ego_rev11.pdf For a stove that is supposed to burn any grade of pellet, the manual talks alot about burning the right kind of pellet. It even says that burning low grade high ash pellets may void the warranty. Also, I couldn't find anywhere that says how big the ash pan is, but looks like it has to be emptied evey 2-3 days.

I would suggest talking to one of the guys here who services stoves, like smwilliiamson, and maybe they have some experience with the stoves you are considering. I would not rush into any decision. The dealer may be a nice guy, but he obviously is interested in selling his product and is hardly objectve. As has already been pointed out, Clear Choice pellets he's recommending isn't a brand that people are super excited about.

 

[Delta-T]

Member smwilliamson has an ecotek. Send him a PM.

Clear Choice is the stove dealers version of NEWP. $297 is a bit high for pellets IMHO. Check around I'm sure you will find better deals on fuel!.

Harmans do a good job, But if you truely want a stove that will burn any pellet. You might want to check out some multifuelers. They burn pellets plus many different fuels too! Enviro has a couple nice units. I have personally burned over 60 different pellet brands with mine. I haven't found one that it struggled to burn. Not to mention corn, grass, cherry pits, and to many others to list!

Absolutly true... Wish they still produced the Omega's.. Just the Maxx-M now.... Look's like the Wittus too. Burns any pellet. Because of the agitator, it will do it better than a Harman.

The Enviro M-55 has that same agitator, so it eats anything, is super quiet too. Doesn't have the massive hopper capacity of the Omega, but its really sharp (especially in the cast iron).

 

[DexterDay]

Warranty seems about the same as most stoves.. 2 yr coverage on most all parts. Even most multi-fuelers talk about the importance of "Good Fuel".. The manual for EVERY stove is going to have a maintenance item that needs completed every day (Even if it really doesn't need to be done).. Send smwilliamson a message. I like many different things about this stove. Its a "Smart" stove (like I said earlier, that means it could be expensive too), Has a unique Heat Exchange system (Could be Great/Reads in the manual that its a PITA to clean), No real need for a thermostat (Has Numerous different pre-programmed timers/along with manual user settings)

I am looking to replace my Quad (and sell my Fahrenheit/Ugh). I have been looking at the Enviro line of stoves, along with the Englander 10-CPM. The Wittus is not a Multi-Fueler like the 2 stated. But I am sure it will burn "Just Pellets" fine. The Bio-Mass market right now, is not that great. Corn is through the roof (unless your a farmer/Even then, you get more out of selling than burning), any other fuel, such as, Cherry pits, Nut shells, Sunflower seeds, Etc Are very hard to find (there are a couple people that get them here) and if you do find them, they are most likely expensive, and awkward to store at home, as they will not come in a bag. You will need to store in totes or barrel's or the like.

Point I am getting to... Is a Multi-Fuel stove a great idea? Absolutely... I want one for the versatility. But for the next few years, (Because of Prices) I only see most Multi's burning Pellets. There are Cardboard and Grass pellets that these can burn also.. But again, the availability, like stated above , about most Bio-Mass products right now.

Its your money, Its gonna be your stove. You will be the one living with it for the next 2-20 yrs. Take ease of cleaning, Cost of replacement parts, and Ease of Maintenance to Major components. If all these meet your criteria, then you have found yourself a stove. Everyone has there favorites (Some of us are a little Bias/I don't own an Enviro (yet)/But I want EVERYONE to have one/LOL).

If you have a good dealer, good local fuel supply, and do not mind the replacement cost's. Coming from Italy is a lot different than being shipped from Canada.

Good luck and keep us updated.. Do you have any pics from the dealer?? The manual's never do stoves justice...

 

[CrowBean]

Ok guys i made the purchase! very excited! got the Wittus Ego, Hearth, Ash Vac, Install, tax, and 2 years of free cleaning (@end of the year) for $4500. Plus I may still be able to get another 350 dollars off. Im working on that. I will help you guys out with whatever info i can this winter using the Wittus. The warranty on everything is 2 years.

P.S. i discussed replacement parts such as heat exchanger, feed motor, motherboard(since its mostly digital and techy) and the dealer showed me the prices which we almost exactly the same for repair of a harman. The dealer has dealt with these stoves for 2 yrs without problems but also re-assured me that if i did not like the stove for the first 2 years he would give me a full refund towards purchasing a harman unit (and yes i have that in writing!).

 

[newf lover]

Sounds like a great deal! Keep us posted on how it works for you this winter. Very nice looking stove.

 

[imacman]

Congrats & good luck!

Don't forget....we need to see pics of the final installation or it never really happened! :lol:

 

[CrowBean]

AS SOON AS ITS INSTALLED I WILL BE HAPPY TO SHOW OFF MY BABY! now i need a name for her

 

[DexterDay]

Ok guys i made the purchase! very excited! got the Wittus Ego, Hearth, Ash Vac, Install, tax, and 2 years of free cleaning (@end of the year) for $4500. Plus I may still be able to get another 350 dollars off. Im working on that. I will help you guys out with whatever info i can this winter using the Wittus. The warranty on everything is 2 years.

P.S. i discussed replacement parts such as heat exchanger, feed motor, motherboard(since its mostly digital and techy) and the dealer showed me the prices which we almost exactly the same for repair of a harman. The dealer has dealt with these stoves for 2 yrs without problems but also re-assured me that if i did not like the stove for the first 2 years he would give me a full refund towards purchasing a harman unit (and yes i have that in writing!).

Very Nice. I am glad you got the Wittus. I cant wait to see it in action. I think you will be very happy.. $4,500 for EVERYTHING (Wittus Ego, Hearth, Ash Vac, Install, tax, and 2 years of free cleaning (@end of the year) is a good deal. Install would have been around $500, Ash Vac is around $200, Hearth $400, 2 End of year Cleanings $400 (All prices are not exact/Give or take.. So please no Quoting). So the stove itself, was only around $3,000 by my approximation's. That's not Bad.. That's what you would have paid for a Harman, Enviro, Quadrafire, Etc. You may have got a little more BTU's, but I used my Quad for 3 seasons., Only using its Lowest setting (running 24/7). Heats 2,180 sq ft nicely.. So I didn't need the 47,500 BTU's it claims to put out. There when I need it, but never use the High setting.

I think you are going to be very happy. (I'm a little jealous) Welcome to the club. Now go get some Pellets! LOL . Congrats

 

[kinsmanstoves]

American Made. Stick with a Harman.

Eric

 

[jtakeman]

American Made.
Eric

Is there really such a thing anymore???? I see assemble in USA with cheap china junk! But really being that the stoves are sold here, There is some money being made by someone in the US. Most of the stove dealers are pushing what has the better net dollar return! And lastly even a Harman will have issues(just look at some recent threads), so as long as the dealer is standing behind it.

 

[smwilliamson]

American Made.
Eric

Is there really such a thing anymore???? I see assemble in USA with cheap china junk! But really being that the stoves are sold here, There is some money being made by someone in the US. Most of the stove dealers are pushing what has the better net dollar return! And lastly even a Harman will have issues(just look at some recent threads), so as long as the dealer is standing behind it.

J

Looking at your sig....my Frencesca logs the hours. 617 since February.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Yes there is a lot of overseas parts in everything but if we do not attempt to keep our dollars here as much as we can, what good are we doing to our future? When do we start? How about now!

Eric

American Made.
Eric

Is there really such a thing anymore???? I see assemble in USA with cheap china junk! But really being that the stoves are sold here, There is some money being made by someone in the US. Most of the stove dealers are pushing what has the better net dollar return! And lastly even a Harman will have issues(just look at some recent threads), so as long as the dealer is standing behind it.

 

[imacman]

Yes there is a lot of overseas parts in everything but if we do not attempt to keep our dollars here as much as we can, what good are we doing to our future? When do we start? How about now!

Eric

I agree.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Yes there is a lot of overseas parts in everything but if we do not attempt to keep our dollars here as much as we can, what good are we doing to our future? When do we start? How about now!

Eric

I agree.

Thank You
Eric