2017-18 Blaze King Performance Thread PART 3 (Everything BK)

[ratsrepus]

kinda quiet out there thought I post a photo of the ugly sisters

 

[Cast Iron]

If a VC rep was ever here, he/she would not last a week. But I bet you they are lurking.......
Do not get me wrong, I very much like my 2550 but she will stay with the house when I decide to sell.

Not lurking. The 'new' owners are a conglomerate, maybe too big to step into this hearth morass (sic). If and only if ( math concept ) their "new and improved" stoves do the job, you will hear.
BKVP is a pro. An excellent example of customer service. Then none of the majors has stepped up here such as Jotul, PE, Woodstock either.
Though the BK line is not our choice, the Ashford came close. She said "no" to a front or side load again; no bending.

 

[Diabel]

The installation progress is a bit slow but I will be ready for this coming season.

 

[BKVP]

View attachment 227456 View attachment 227457 View attachment 227458 View attachment 227459
The installation progress is a bit slow but I will be ready for this coming season.

Good vertical rise, smooth transition in your double wall...good job.

 

[Ashful]

BKVP is a pro. An excellent example of customer service. Then none of the majors has stepped up here such as Jotul, PE, Woodstock either.

I wish some of the others would become more active here. BKVP has done an excellent job of remaining a neutral voice here, providing support without hawking his product. But having Woodstock, New England, Esse, and some of the other brands that have once been part of this forum take a more active role would squash any occasional thought or accusation of this being a forum slanted toward BK. It’s the users of these stoves who might slant things that way, not the manufacturer.

Jotul? VC? Not going to happen.

 

[Cast Iron]

BKVP does the best professional job of "hawking" ....by not doing it.
The enthusiasts' rally to BK is near overwhelming. The stoves may be fine, but some objectivity is long overdue.
Our experience with the old Oslo was exceptional advice and service from the Jotul U.S. techs in Portland, Maine ( now in a suburb of Portland I think)
Reps NEED to be on hearthnet. Whether or not Jotul, Woodstock, VC or others do is vital to our use of their products. Perhaps they could also offer Kool-Aid .

 

[tarzan]

BKVP does the best professional job of "hawking" ....by not doing it.
The enthusiasts' rally to BK is near overwhelming. The stoves may be fine, but some objectivity is long overdue.
Our experience with the old Oslo was exceptional advice and service from the Jotul U.S. techs in Portland, Maine ( now in a suburb of Portland I think)
Reps NEED to be on hearthnet. Whether or not Jotul, Woodstock, VC or others do is vital to our use of their products. Perhaps they could also offer Kool-Aid .

I am a cynical person but even the most trusting individuals surely realize BKVP's not here trying to find new hunting buddies.

IIRC, Blaze Kings were developing or had developed quite a following on there own before BKVP sat up his kool-aid stand

 

[bholler]

BKVP does the best professional job of "hawking" ....by not doing it.
The enthusiasts' rally to BK is near overwhelming. The stoves may be fine, but some objectivity is long overdue.
Our experience with the old Oslo was exceptional advice and service from the Jotul U.S. techs in Portland, Maine ( now in a suburb of Portland I think)
Reps NEED to be on hearthnet. Whether or not Jotul, Woodstock, VC or others do is vital to our use of their products. Perhaps they could also offer Kool-Aid .

Or they could also just make simple reliable easy to use and maintain stoves and no rep would be needed. And i am not belittling bkvp or bk stoves. He does a great job and the stoves are fantastic but really while other reps would be great in most cases there is no need. The ones that need it most are harman and vc because they have the most issues.

 

[webby3650]

I wish some of the others would become more active here. BKVP has done an excellent job of remaining a neutral voice here, providing support without hawking his product. But having Woodstock, New England, Esse, and some of the other brands that have once been part of this forum take a more active role would squash any occasional thought or accusation of this being a forum slanted toward BK. It’s the users of these stoves who might slant things that way, not the manufacturer.

Jotul? VC? Not going to happen.

There was a Travis/Lopi Rep here for a minute, until I asked him about the problems associated with a few of their new products. He vanished!

 

[Cast Iron]

Poll: Your fav Kool Aid flavor ?

Seriously, BKVP's responses are interesting and informative for anyone into wood stoves. There have been problems ( can you believe ? ) with BK stoves that he has solved here. Other than the ashford, BK stoves are not classic pretty like Jotul or VC or Woodstock....in my opinion of course.
The front only loading, small ash pan, and no enamel colors of interest to us ( blue/black) are other objections....in my opinion of course.

 

[Diabel]

Good vertical rise, smooth transition in your double wall...good job.

Thank you. I am trying to make it work as best as possible. The beneficial information people on this forum provide is amazing.

 

[Ashful]

The front only loading, small ash pan, and no enamel colors of interest to us ( blue/black) are other objections....in my opinion of course.

I made a big stink about the enamel, back when I was ordering. In fact, I ordered my two Ashfords with their then-new Blue/Black enamel, and they had to refund me when they had some production problems. I re-ordered in the standard black paint, and was really bummed about it, until I received them.

Looking back three years now, I’m actually glad it worked out the way it did. The Ashfords are beautiful in that classic black.

On ash pans, I can only speak of the Ashford, and say it’s a good size. One pan full is just about exactly what I want to take out of the stove each week. I wonder if the comments with regard to the King’s pan are more about it the stove’s almost obscene belly volume, more than the size of the pan itself. I mean, would you want to carry an ash pan the size of a 30 gallon trash can, anyway?

 

[Cast Iron]

Burning hard with our defunct Oslo, the normal sized ash pan had to be emptied each morning. Our friends and neighbors who convinced us to look then finally buy a VC Encore cat also empty their normal sized ash pans each morning. It is the norm when a wood stove is used for 100% heating at least in chilly places. The Oslo and Encore ash pans are really simple pull outs with or without a fire.
It would be impossible to wait a week to empty a wood stove used for heating....even a magic BK. Comments are welcome.
Why an enamel/porcelain finish ? Plain cast or steel wood stoves look like hell after a season of hard burns: uneven color, splotchy looks, areas differing where there was more intense heat. Lange and Jotul both used enamel on their stoves many many decades ago in the dawn of 'modern' wood stoves; red and green were common then on the Jotul 602 for example.There are beautiful porcelain red Lange stoves still in use here.

Ain't many who have central heat, mini splits, some Firelight 12's, 2 Ashfords, and....and "open fireplaces" . I'm tired just thinking about running around tending them.

 

[Diabel]

Burning hard with our defunct Oslo, the normal sized ash pan had to be emptied each morning. Our friends and neighbors who convinced us to look then finally buy a VC Encore cat also empty their normal sized ash pans each morning. It is the norm when a wood stove is used for 100% heating at least in chilly places. The Oslo and Encore ash pans are really simple pull outs with or without a fire.
It would be impossible to wait a week to empty a wood stove used for heating....even a magic BK. Comments are welcome.
Why an enamel/porcelain finish ? Plain cast or steel wood stoves look like hell after a season of hard burns: uneven color, splotchy looks, areas differing where there was more intense heat. Lange and Jotul both used enamel on their stoves many many decades ago in the dawn of 'modern' wood stoves; red and green were common then on the Jotul 602 for example.There are beautiful porcelain red Lange stoves still in use here.

Ain't many who have central heat, mini splits, some Firelight 12's, 2 Ashfords, and....and "open fireplaces" . I'm tired just thinking about running around tending them.

Cast, did you ever end up buying that VC? Any pics....

 

[kennyp2339]

Burning hard with our defunct Oslo, the normal sized ash pan had to be emptied each morning. Our friends and neighbors who convinced us to look then finally buy a VC Encore cat also empty their normal sized ash pans each morning. It is the norm when a wood stove is used for 100% heating at least in chilly places. The Oslo and Encore ash pans are really simple pull outs with or without a fire.
It would be impossible to wait a week to empty a wood stove used for heating....even a magic BK. Comments are welcome.
Why an enamel/porcelain finish ? Plain cast or steel wood stoves look like hell after a season of hard burns: uneven color, splotchy looks, areas differing where there was more intense heat. Lange and Jotul both used enamel on their stoves many many decades ago in the dawn of 'modern' wood stoves; red and green were common then on the Jotul 602 for example.There are beautiful porcelain red Lange stoves still in use here.

Ain't many who have central heat, mini splits, some Firelight 12's, 2 Ashfords, and....and "open fireplaces" . I'm tired just thinking about running around tending them.

I empty my BK princess once every 8-10 days when burning 24/7 2.85cuft fire box, ash build up happens faster with less efficient stoves

 

[Alpine1]

Burning softwood (Norway spruce) we empty our Ashford 30 once a month, no kidding. And yes, we do burn 24/7

 

[webby3650]

I empty my BK princess once every 8-10 days when burning 24/7 2.85cuft fire box, ash build up happens faster with less efficient stoves

Same here, usually close to 2 weeks between cleanings.

 

[bholler]

Same here, usually close to 2 weeks between cleanings.

I only take ashes out about every 2 weeks as well burning full time heating the house with no help from the furnace. And if your painted stove looks splotchy after a year it is either painted with crappy paint or you are over firing it. I just repainted my 8 yr old regency for the first time. And it didnt look to bad but we moved so i painted it while it was out.

 

[ratsrepus]

once a week with the princess, haven't burned the ashford enough to to have an opinion yet. I'm sure with the shallower front lip it will be at least once a week. Later on in this coming burning season ILL let you know how the Finnish on the ashford holds up.

 

[webby3650]

I only take ashes out about every 2 weeks as well burning full time heating the house with no help from the furnace. And if your painted stove looks splotchy after a year it is either painted with crappy paint or you are over firing it. I just repainted my 8 yr old regency for the first time. And it didnt look to bad but we moved so i painted it while it was out.

I agree. A sure sign of overfiring.

 

[ratsrepus]

Not sure what BK uses, its not enamel but it looks durable

 

[webby3650]

Not sure what BK uses, its not enamel but it looks durable

The Ashford is porcelain enamel.

 

[ratsrepus]

I thought it was paint

 

[BKVP]

I thought it was paint

We offer painted finish and porcelain.

Our new paint supplier from Germany, has drastically reduced off gassing. The color remains more uniform as the stove ages...less discoloration in hot spots. It was beta tested last two seasons and supplier claims are reinforced.

 

[BKVP]

I am a cynical person but even the most trusting individuals surely realize BKVP's not here trying to find new hunting buddies.

IIRC, Blaze Kings were developing or had developed quite a following on there own before BKVP sat up his kool-aid stand

Whoa hold on there! I'm always looking for more hunting buddies (so long as they have land access)