Woodstock owners: did you see a "live" stove before you bought?

[borntoburn]

Hi all. I've been lurking a long time and it is resulting in an obsession. After looking at so many stoves locally I now feel I need to drive a few hours to the Woodstock factory. My wife thinks I'm nuts and the old stove is fine. We can't afford a new stove and liner at the moment but I want that 30% next year. She feels that a cult is slowly gaining control of my mind. Hmmm, maybe so.
All of a sudden I got real curious how many of you Woodstock owners got to see an actual stove before you bought. Or didn't you feel the need? I first thought, what makes these stoves so great, no store carries them, but then I keep reading the reviews. It's feeding my obsession! I have this feeling it is the right stove, or else some kind of brand mystique is working here. I guess I'll find out when I make the drive.

 

[begreen]

Welcome btb. What stove are you burning now?

There were several owners that made the drive this year. The advantage is that you get to see the whole process and if you buy, you get to pick out the stones used. That makes the whole experience more memorable. As for the cult concerns... your wife sounds like she's quite intuitive and a good judge of human nature .

 

[borntoburn]

Cawley Lemay - really good old stove, throws a lot of heat and burns long. Many family, friends and neighbors with old stoves and they all work just fine, but one friend got a new Jotul last year. So new-toy syndrome has hit me, and now followed by forum-addiction.

 

[begreen]

Nice. I'd be tempted to keep the Cawley Lemay if it's doing everything you want it to and it's in good shape. How are the interior burn plates looking? Have they ever been replaced?

 

[jdinspector]

I did see an old fireview before I purchased mine. I was underwhelmed. The size of it is not very big, but it heats bigger than it looks. The other thing on the old stove that I saw was that the glass was completely black. In speaking with reps from Woodstock and others here, they told me that this was a problem in some early Fireviews. It seems that the first fireviews were simply classics with glass cut in. I was led to believe that other things had to be changed to keep the glass clean. (double thickness glass, etc.). I have to confirm that it does keep the glass clean- so they did something right!

The size was probably the most surprising. I think some sort of warming trays that attach to the side or at least mitten warmers (rods) would be cool. We'd use them for sure. The other kicker was that they have the great return policy if I wasn't happy. I realize that I would have to pay for the shipping, but I was willing to do that if it was the wrong stove.

 

[dreezon]

I never saw one before I bought. I started out thinking I wanted a fireview, but then I went through this process where I seriously considered about 10 other options. I dismissed Hearthstone mainly because of the price and the surly attitude of my local dealer. For a while I really wanted to go with an insert to avoid having something sticking out into the room. But the more research I did, and the more I balanced every factor, the more I kept coming back to the Fireview. The two biggest factors were the universally positive reviews (I think I read 40, only one that was anything less than stellar), and most importantly the low wood consumption, especially important to me with a city lot of limited size.

So far, I am not disappointed, but I won't know for sure until January or so. That's why the six-month satisfaction guaranty is the clincher. Maybe I will need more BTU output, but if the Fireview has adequate horsepower, I think it's the best overall value, for me at least.

Oh, and Woodstock the company is incredibly decent. They are patient, friendly and helpful to the nth degree.

 

[CTburning]

I saw one a couple weeks before I went to the factory and bought one. I had already made up my mind to purchase the stove when the girl I was seeing knew somebody who knew somebody who had a Fireview. Long story short I got invited to see the stove in action. It is better looking in person and after last weekend when I finally installed my own Fireview, I can now say, it is awesome. Not seeing it could be a hindrance for some people but it didn't bother me. I was waiting for the spring sale and it was go time! A dealer wants to make a 20-40% profit margin. By cutting out the dealer, the stove is being sold at a much more attractive price. People think soapstone stoves are at a premium price but I was able to buy the Fireview for less than a Quadrafire. The one brand I didn't look at was Jotul's. Blazeking, forget about it. I first wanted a Hearthstone Heritage but it was more money and as I learned was at best similiar quality to the Fireview.

Bring a pickup, go to the factory and drive your new stove home. My neighboor needs a new stove to replace her very old Hearthstone but doesn't want to spend the money. I told her she is crazy as the efficiency of the Fireview will pay for itself over the life of the stove. You are never going to see a deal like the 30% tax credit again. If that old stove will last another 10+ years and you don't have issues with wood supply, then maybe you don't need a new stove. For me, I will run out of the plethora of wood from my land clearing and making the last 15-20 cords last, and not paying for wood or scrounging.

 

[akennyd]

We didn't see one before we purchased. All I have to say is that if you saw one in person, I'd be willing to bet that you would want one.

I have been a proud owner of a Fireview for one day now. I have just posted about that experience in another thread...

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/45538/


Kenny
John 3:16

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Hi all. I've been lurking a long time and it is resulting in an obsession. After looking at so many stoves locally I now feel I need to drive a few hours to the Woodstock factory. My wife thinks I'm nuts and the old stove is fine. We can't afford a new stove and liner at the moment but I want that 30% next year. She feels that a cult is slowly gaining control of my mind. Hmmm, maybe so.
All of a sudden I got real curious how many of you Woodstock owners got to see an actual stove before you bought. Or didn't you feel the need? I first thought, what makes these stoves so great, no store carries them, but then I keep reading the reviews. It's feeding my obsession! I have this feeling it is the right stove, or else some kind of brand mystique is working here. I guess I'll find out when I make the drive.

Greetings and welcome to the forum.

We were able to see one before we bought but unfortunately they had let the stove almost go completely out before we got there. The first thing that struck us was, Wow! That thing is so small how can it possibly throw enough heat! But the fellow who owned the stove was really good and we got lots of information from him.

We would have liked to go to the factory but it is just so darned far away... Hopefully some day we will get there but it is not in the cards right now. Living where you do, I would highly recommend going there to see the stoves up close and personal.

On the part of no stores carrying them. They did try selling through stores many years ago but were not happy. Most store owners really don't care enough to really learn the stoves; their number one interest is the dollars they get from a sale. No doubt they make more money on some models than they do others, so naturally, they would try to steer you to those stoves.

Having the 6 month trial period for these stoves more than makes up for them not having a dealer sell them.

One thing I have found is that this company has good people and they are not a high pressure sales group. Even after the sale they are more than happy to talk to you on the phone if you have problems.

The biggest factor for us is the fact that we burn only half the amount of wood we used to burn and stay much warmer too. In addition to that, we have a beautiful piece of furniture.

Most new burners find it takes a bit of time to really learn the stove but it is a short amount of time to learn. The cat is either on or off. Turn it off when reloading. After 10-15 minutes or when the wood is carred, then you naturally turn down the draft and at the same time you engage the cat. Pretty simple.

Maintenance is minimal. Clean the cat now and then (We do not clean as often as the book states because it doesn't need cleaning then. Our wood is really dry.) To clean the cat., you let the stove cool down, raise the top door, reach in and remove the cat. We use an old paint brush and just lightly brush any fly ash off the cat. We then will remove any fly ash where the cat sits. Then set the cat back in and start a new fire.

All this maintenance of the cat takes less than 5 minutes, so it is not a big job at all. It takes longer to clean ashes than to clean the cat.

Also, we have had our stove 2 full winters and we've cleaned the chimney one time. Even then we only got a little bit of soot and no creosote.

Good luck to you and don't hesitate to ask more questions. Also don't hesitate to call Woodstock with any questions. You won't be pressured.

 

[xraydog]

Borntoburn,

I have been burning Avalon stoves since the late 1980's. Over the years I have owned just about every stove and insert that they make. I always wanted a soapstone stove. They were always priced out of my range. With the factory discount and federal rebates the stoves this was the time to make the purchase.

I was fortunate enough to have a friend who has a fireview. I visited him a few times to look and measure the stove. I was very impressed with the fit and finish of the piece. I didn't actually see it burning since it was the summer.

When I finally made the decision to purchase I had a hard time deciding between the fireview and Keystone models. I wish I had an opportunity to check out a Keystone. I liked the keystone looks better, but there were some issues with my install about getting to the catalytic combuster and ash drawer witht the Keystone, so I went with the Fireview. I figured if I didn't like the stove I'd crate it back up in 6 months and send it back.

I have burned it for about one month. Initially I was not very impressed. It seem more complicated than my old Avalon. However after about 3-4 burns, it was a piece of cake and a much superior stove to the Avalon. The stove is great. I wish it could also have front door access, but that is about the only issue I have with the stove. I just got done cuting up the crate for kindling, so the stove is staying.

 

[Todd]

I never saw a Woodstock live before I purchased mine but since they had the 6 month money back guarantee I took the plunge and glad I did. Everything people say about them are true and Woodstock service is second to none.