Woodstove Selelction Advice

[sbors]

Looking for help replacing our 20 y/o Scandia stove with either a Hearthstone Bennington, Harman Oakwood or Quadrafire Isle Royale. Like the Hearthstone but have read some concerning reviews regarding its past finish quality and drafting. Also like the top load of the Quadrafire and Harman. Anyone with past experience or comments on the stoves would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[elkimmeg]

Can't help you there I can only comment on my two top loading Vermont castings stoves Top load made in USA cast in USA
Soon to be replacing My 3 year old Resolute for the cat advantage ccleaner longer burns = more heat
All of the stoves you mentioned should do the job all are of good quality I see the VC competition has taken notice and now have coppied their top loading feature. The Harman is simmilar to VC ever burn technology

 

[mlouwho]

I have 3 years experience with the Harman Oakwood. It is a very nice stove. The afterburner works exactly like it is supposed to. The glass stays clean. Even after being dampered down for 10 hours, I just open it up and throw in some more wood and it is good to go. The versatility of top or rear vent on the same stove is helpful when replacing another stove. I am heating 2200 sq ft, this stove is the only heat source, it does the job well! Make sure you get the rear heat shield to keep your clearances lower.

 

[Shane]

All are comparable models. The Harman has the longest warranty. All three of those brands have had lemons, but all three of those manufacturers put out a fine quality product 99% of the time. There really isn't alot of unique technology out there what works works and many manufacturers have similar secondary combustion systems. It's funny one of my distributors said something to me that makes alot of sense. There are no brand names in the industry on a national level, it's all regional and usually the "best" is based on opinion and marketing by local dealers. I've found this to be very true, I go to different areas of the country and being the stove dork that I am go to the local hearth shops, and what's the best there is often considered crap here. So my advice to you is to shop your dealers, find the one that you feel will offer you the best most comprehensive service now and later.

 

[saichele]

So my advice to you is to shop your dealers, find the one that you feel will offer you the best most comprehensive service now and later.

yup, good dealer is the key to the whole experience. quality controlis a little iffy with most of the vendors, but these are simple appliances that can usually be fixed out int he field, if the dealer is so inclined. If you need to harrass them for 3 weeks to get someone to look at your stove, or they're going to blame the install or try to upsell, it's not nearly as good an experience.

Steve

 

[sbors]

Thanks for the replys so far. Does anyone have an opinion on the Hearthstones double walled stove, more to the point that it is a convective heater versus radiant like the other two. I am afraid I will lose the ability to have a steamer, convective fan or even cooking surface.