Best stove?

[logger]

Hi all,
Looking at new stoves this year and was looking for advice. We have a 1950 sq ft log cabin and need a new stove to run up the cathedral ceiling. We are looking at the Jotul Oslo, the Lopi Leyden, and the Encore by Vermont Castings. Any advice on which one will out perform the others? We really like all 3. Thanks in advance.

 

[Todd]

Is that the non cat Encore? The downdraft type non cats like your Leyden and VC seem to be very finicky and need ideal chimney draft. Many people here have reported problems with these stoves. I recommend you do a search for those stoves and see what comes up. If I had to choose I'd go with the Jutol.

 

[Later]

You have some excellent choices there. Search the forum for each model and see what owners have to say.

 

[logger]

Thanks.. The VC would be non-cat. I seem to be leaning more and more towards the Jotul. Anyone ever have a problen with the enamel on the Oslo? I've heard some not so good things about VC's enamel chipping and cracking.

 

[firefighterjake]

Since I have a Jotul Oslo I am a bit biased . . . but I will suggest you check out the hearth.com stove ratings reviews for the various models since it gives actual users opinions on the various makes and models.

I don't have enamel so I cannot comment on whether it is good or bad except to say that if memory serves me correctly there have been very few, if any, complaints about the finish on the Jotuls. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, there have been some positive comments about the finish.

 

[begreen]

The Jotul blue-black enamel is very tough, much more so than the majolica finishes. If there is no other supplemental heat for the cabin I'd get a stove that puts out the heat quickly. It will take a lot of btus to bring a cold cabin up to temperature in a reasonable amount of time. To do this I'd get a bigger, 3 cu ft stove in cast iron, like the Jotul 600. The Quadrafire Isle Royale or Hearthstone Bennington could also work. But my first choice in this application would be a steel stove. The Napoleon 1900 or the Pacific Energy Summit Classic can be ordered with a nice looking enameled outer jacket and a fancy door to dress them up a bit.

 

[logger]

The cabin has propane forced hot air and electric baseboard, but I'd like the stove to be the primary source of heat. Our master bedroom is up in the loft, so Im thinking most of the warm air will flow up there. We also have ceiling fans to help. I really love the look of the oslo as well (it took some time but grew on me). I'll check out some steel stoves too, but my mind is almost made on the Jotul. Thanks again.. great site.

 

[begreen]

If you have supplemental heat to bring the place up to temperature then a medium sized stove like the Oslo should work assuming the cabin is well insulated and not located in the high Adirondacks. The Oslo is a very nice looking stove, especially in the blue-black enamel. It's simple construction, operation and side-door loading are nice features. Note that Hearthstone also offers this type of enamel on their cast iron stoves along with some traditional majolica finishes.

 

[logger]

I read some really poor reviews of those Bennington models.. kind of scared me away. Funny you mention the Adirondacks, as we have a house up there as well that is heated with a steel stove. Thats why Im looking at the cast irons for our home.

 

[bmwloco]

When I wear out my old vintage VC stoves, Jotul will be next on the list. That should take me into my 90's... I figure I have another decade or two with my current stoves.

47 now

 

[FWWARDEN]

The Oslo is a tremendous stove, it's heated my entire house all winter, roughly 2000 sq ft. As long as you feed it seasoned wood, it will not disappoint. I burned some stuff last week that I cut in September, and the stove almost refused to burn it. Otherwise the thing can heat you right out of the room when cranked. Look at the weight difference between the Leydon and the Oslo, about 100 more pounds of iron there. Those were the two I looked at, and when viewing them both side by side, it was a no brainer to drop the extra couple hundred bucks for the Oslo. I had my heart set on the Leydon until I closely inspected the two stoves.

 

[begreen]

I read some really poor reviews of those Bennington models.. kind of scared me away. Funny you mention the Adirondacks, as we have a house up there as well that is heated with a steel stove. Thats why Im looking at the cast irons for our home.

Ah, my mistake, I thought you were referring to a cabin with occasional use, not a full time home. The Oslo should be fine then. If looking at steel, maybe also consider a hybrid steel/cast iron stove like the Pacific Energy Alderleas.

 

[Jags]

I would highly recommend looking at the 3+ cu ft stoves for 1950 sqft and wanting it to be your primary heat source. You are going to find it difficult to get the btus you need with any kind of fire longevity without it. Just my opinion.

 

[kwburn]

On a whim last week I did a full investigation of the user ratings and specs of the Oslo just for the fun of it.
That appears to be one of the most rock-solid options out there currently. I highly doubt you can go wrong with that one.

 

[logger]

It seems like the oslo gets better reviews than the larger firelight. I saw some posts by people here who had a lot more space to heat than 1950 sq ft and they said the oslo does great. It will be in the living room, so I dont want to drive people out of the room or have to hang out in my scivies and an ice pack under my seat.

 

[Jags]

I have no doubt that the oslo will have the ability to heat your area. What I do have a doubt about, is that when its mighty cold out and you really have to push the oslo, that you are gonna see any more than a couple of hours of burn time per load of firewood. Some will disagree, and it is ultimately up to you, but that is my opinion.

Edit: much of this will be dependent on your house and how tight it is. I don't own one, but have heard many complaints that log homes are kind of a bugger to get tight. If you have a house that can be heated with a bic lighter, then the above is moot. If you have an average house then the above is very pertinent.

 

[logger]

Its a newer log home with tight d-shaped logs (round outside, flat inside) and small tongue and grooves. No chinking to worry about. Appreciate the help all.. going with the Oslo. Just got to pick the blue-black, or another color now.

 

[logger]

If Im freezing Ill put the heat on or poor the bourbon.

 

[jotul8e2]

Appreciate the help all.. going with the Oslo. Just got to pick the blue-black, or another color now.

There seems to be a widely held belief that the blue-black and the ivory are the toughest enamel finishes. I have the ivory, and it does indeed seem to be holding up well. But it isn't like the other colors are going to wash off or anything.

Mark

 

[begreen]

Yes, this process is also available in ivory, thanks for the reminder. I'm not sure how it is done, but it reminds me of a satin powder-coat finish.

 

[myzamboni]

It seems like the oslo gets better reviews than the larger firelight. I saw some posts by people here who had a lot more space to heat than 1950 sq ft and they said the oslo does great. It will be in the living room, so I dont want to drive people out of the room or have to hang out in my scivies and an ice pack under my seat.

If you have cathedral ceilings I don't think you will be driving anyone out of the room, just make sure all the head does not end up in your bedroom (at least not heat from the stove :coolsmile: )

 

[logger]

When I price checked in my area I questioned colors and one guy wasnt sure if the oslo still came in the dark green. I kind of like that or brown (blue black is still in 1st right now), but I guess Ill let the old lady pick.

 

[logger]

It seems like the oslo gets better reviews than the larger firelight. I saw some posts by people here who had a lot more space to heat than 1950 sq ft and they said the oslo does great. It will be in the living room, so I dont want to drive people out of the room or have to hang out in my scivies and an ice pack under my seat.

If you have cathedral ceilings I don't think you will be driving anyone out of the room, just make sure all the head does not end up in your bedroom (at least not heat from the stove :coolsmile: )

Like I said, its a new house so the head better end up all over the place.

 

[firefighterjake]

I think the Oslo will suit your needs. I originally figured out my heating needs based on closing up the two upstairs bedrooms and bathroom, but for whatever reasons most of the time the doors are never shut anyways (i.e. my brother in law comes up every other weekend, I sometimes sleep up there when my snoring gets to be too much for my wife, the cats decide they want to sleep up there, etc.) and so far the Oslo has worked well. As mentioned when the tips dip to below zero it does start to eat up more wood faster, but honestly while I occasionally think the Firelight would have been a better choice 80% of the time I think the Oslo was a good choice for my needs.

 

[kork]

I think if Jotul would get rid of the double doors on the F600 it would become more popular. The removable handles seem like a real pain in the butt.
Hank