A trip to the local stove shop yesterday...

[Light in the Dark]

... was pretty fun. My local dealer carries a number of brands, including Jotul, Lopi, VC, Harman, and Hearthstone. I got to see these beasts up close and personal (and I will say one thing... the scale from what Ive seen online does not match real life... I thought these stoves would be larger!)

I took a look at the Oslo, the Leyden, the Phoenix?, and I got some lit on the Oakwood (they only had an Oakleaf). The salesperson was decently knowledgeable on all models, except for the Oakwood. He said they haven't sold too many of them, but that "Harman makes good products, so I wouldnt have an issue saying this model is probably just as good as their others".

Basic observations:
The Leyden firebox is small (or at least small in comparison to the Oslo). Surprisingly small, in my opinion. Are these two stoves really rated for approximately the same output? I did not look at the box of the Phoenix, because frankly its out of my budget range (but it looked nice enough).

I liked the simplicity of the Oslo design.. just one adjusting lever. Whatever we end up going with (if we go with a stove), I need to make sure my wife can operate it while I am at work.

Just my thoughts. Take them for what they are, and interject as you see fit.

 

[BrowningBAR]

... was pretty fun. My local dealer carries a number of brands, including Jotul, Lopi, VC, Harman, and Hearthstone. I got to see these beasts up close and personal (and I will say one thing... the scale from what Ive seen online does not match real life... I thought these stoves would be larger!)

I took a look at the Oslo, the Leyden, the Phoenix?, and I got some lit on the Oakwood (they only had an Oakleaf). The salesperson was decently knowledgeable on all models, except for the Oakwood. He said they haven't sold too many of them, but that "Harman makes good products, so I wouldnt have an issue saying this model is probably just as good as their others".

Basic observations:
The Leyden firebox is small (or at least small in comparison to the Oslo). Surprisingly small, in my opinion. Are these two stoves really rated for approximately the same output? I did not look at the box of the Phoenix, because frankly its out of my budget range (but it looked nice enough).

I liked the simplicity of the Oslo design.. just one adjusting lever. Whatever we end up going with (if we go with a stove), I need to make sure my wife can operate it while I am at work.

Just my thoughts. Take them for what they are, and interject as you see fit.

The Leyden is listed as 2.3 cu ft. Should be about the same size as the oslo. Though, I have never seen a Leyden. I have an VC Encore and a Heathstone Heritage which are both listed as about the same size firebox as the Leyden and I would say the firebox is larger on the Encore than it is on the Hearthstone Heritage.

What does this all mean? I have no idea, except that I like large fireboxes.

 

[Light in the Dark]

Just from looking... the actual box size appeared to be almost 50% larger. YMMV

 

[BrowningBAR]

Just from looking... the actual box size appeared to be almost 50% larger. YMMV

25%-30% difference when I compare the Encore to the Heritage.

 

[rdust]

Start taking a tape measure and measure the space you feel will be usable. We've all found what the manufacture claims and what is usable with wood are two things that can vary greatly.

Here is a good thread that highbeam started last year on firebox size. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/57153/

 

[BrowningBAR]

Start taking a tape measure and measure the space you feel will be usable. We've all found what the manufacture claims and what is usable with wood are two things that can vary greatly.

Here is a good thread that highbeam started last year on firebox size. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/57153/

That was a good beer thread.

 

[n3pro]

Start taking a tape measure and measure the space you feel will be usable. We've all found what the manufacture claims and what is usable with wood are two things that can vary greatly.

Here is a good thread that highbeam started last year on firebox size. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/57153/

True, mine says 18 inches, so that's what I got the first year. 18 inches is the first piece way in the back perfect straight cut and a hammer. 17 1/2 barely fits.

 

[firefighterjake]

... was pretty fun. My local dealer carries a number of brands, including Jotul, Lopi, VC, Harman, and Hearthstone. I got to see these beasts up close and personal (and I will say one thing... the scale from what Ive seen online does not match real life... I thought these stoves would be larger!)

I took a look at the Oslo, the Leyden, the Phoenix?, and I got some lit on the Oakwood (they only had an Oakleaf). The salesperson was decently knowledgeable on all models, except for the Oakwood. He said they haven't sold too many of them, but that "Harman makes good products, so I wouldnt have an issue saying this model is probably just as good as their others".

Basic observations:
The Leyden firebox is small (or at least small in comparison to the Oslo). Surprisingly small, in my opinion. Are these two stoves really rated for approximately the same output? I did not look at the box of the Phoenix, because frankly its out of my budget range (but it looked nice enough).

I liked the simplicity of the Oslo design.. just one adjusting lever. Whatever we end up going with (if we go with a stove), I need to make sure my wife can operate it while I am at work.

Just my thoughts. Take them for what they are, and interject as you see fit.

As others have said . . . you have to bear in mind that the dealer specs for a firebox are perhaps not all the same . . . more over . . . there may be X amount of space in a firebox, but you may still not use every cubic inch of that space as you probably do not want the wood lying right up against the "glass", you probably do not have your wood cut exactly at Y inches to fit into the firebox, etc.

For the record . . . you are right . . . the Oslo is pretty darn simple . . . but then again most of them are . . . even the "complex" (said tongue in cheek) cat stoves only have a couple of levers. Anyone can learn to run a stove efficiently and safely if they take a few minutes to learn how to do so . . . running a woodstove isn't exactly rocket science and the truth of the matter is that women have been tending the home fires for generations . . . she should have no problem with any stove providing she takes the time to learn how to safely run the stove.