Absolute Steel Hybrid

[JA600L]

$1795 introductory price.

Wow, that does not seem like as much of a bargain as the Ideal Steel. For a 2.5cf stove, you have a lot of other options in that price range. The base Ideal Steel is $1925. Here come the "which stove should I buy?" threads...

The other thing I noticed on their website is that they brag about the flame show of the Absolute Steel . I wonder if this one will burn full cat like the Ideal Steel does.

 

[Tavery]

Looking forward to your experience and comparison between the IS and AS Flamestead. How will red/white oak compare to the fuel your using I wonder? Also interested in your impression of this stove's application in a 1450 sq. ft. well insulated home as a single heat source.

 

[Flamestead]

Looking forward to your experience and comparison between the IS and AS Flamestead. How will red/white oak compare to the fuel your using I wonder? Also interested in your impression of this stove's application in a 1450 sq. ft. well insulated home as a single heat source.

We are in a 3600 sq ft house (plus walk-out basement, with stone and brick foundation) built in 1797. Attic insulation is marginal, windows are modern double pane, foamed in place. We keep half the house mostly closed in the winter (a door ajar to let cats move around). This stove is way too small on its own (the PH is too small on the coldest nights - the oil furnace runs in the early morning hours those nights). Anyway, I suspect with a smaller, well insulated house, further south, you would stand a much better chance of it being enough.

 

[Woody Stover]

$1795 introductory price.

that does not seem like as much of a bargain....the base Ideal Steel is $1925.

I don't know how "base" the base IS is, but the $1795 AS "includes an inner soapstone liner, ash pan, andirons, choice of left or right side loading, and artwork. A plain version is available for just $1,695.00."
Comparing the prices of those two is a moot point for me. I don't like over-sizing a stove much. The bigger the stove, the longer it takes to heat up and get cruising, and the more wood you burn doing it. If I have to run a smaller stove a little hotter when it's unusually cold or windy, that's a trade-off I'll take.

I wonder if this one will burn full cat like the Ideal Steel does.

Sure.

 

[Flamestead]

Woodstock said it was OK to remove the artwork, to see how we liked its look (just held on by screws). Wife and daughters think it is too plain...

 

[Flamestead]

We have a strong draft. How strong? Woodstock is letting me borrow this meter. A typical draft is in the -0.05 to -0.07 inches of water column range, and at 35 degrees outside we are running considerably stronger.

 

[begreen]

Woodstock said it was OK to remove the artwork, to see how we liked its look (just held on by screws). Wife and daughters think it is too plain...

Looks like a steel fireview with fins.

 

[Woody Stover]

Woodstock said it was OK to remove the artwork, to see how we liked its look (just held on by screws). Wife and daughters think it is too plain...

I could get one like that, then have my SIL "faux" it to look like brick, or a cob oven.....or even soapstone!

We have a strong draft. How strong? Woodstock is letting me borrow this meter. A typical draft is in the -0.05 to -0.07 inches of water column range, and at 35 degrees outside we are running considerably stronger.

Was that a low fire? What happens with a high fire? Your damper tames it back down to about normal, though?

Looks like a steel fireview with fins.

About the only similarity I see between the two stoves is that they are both taller than they are wide. Oh, and they both have a window, and legs.

 

[Flamestead]

Was that a low fire? What happens with a high fire? Your damper tames it back down to about normal, though?

The fire was medium-low. Later in the evening, on a higher burn, it was holding stead at -0.20 inches, and the key damper took it back down to -0.10.

These key dampers aren't like some I grew up with, in that this has more holes and doesn't scrape the sides of the pipe as you turn it.

 

[Babaganoosh]

- I might not find the absolute, ideal sweet spot for each night's draft conditions, but I have a broad range of control level motion in that vicinity.

I see what you did there

 

[Flamestead]

I see what you did there

Glad to see it was appreciated! In hindsight I should have said I was making progress in that regard.

 

[Babaganoosh]

Glad to see it was appreciated! In hindsight I should have said I was making progress in that regard.

Zing!

 

[Flamestead]

Here's the front edge of the fireback, with the holes for the third air supply (the glass is cleaner than it appears - I have a flashlight shining at an angle). The air introduced here with flame right there if very hot, or will feed the cat's combustion; either way is good. There is a fresh load in the firebox, so very little flame to see. STT is just over 400, stove front is 450, flue temp is closer to 500 (key damper fully closed).



The draft has been running at -0.20 most of the day when the key damper is open. We have -0.05 with the stove door open and key damper open.

 

[Woody Stover]

(the glass is cleaner than it appears - I have a flashlight shining at an angle)

Hard to tell...is that double glass?

 

[Flamestead]

Hard to tell...is that double glass?

This particular version of the beta has double glass. I think it is still under review.

 

[Flamestead]

I've been saving up some short pieces to be able to load N/S in the Absolute Steel. I didn't try packing it full, but was able to get quite a bit in on top of a deep coal bed. Several of the pieces had to be turned sideways to go through the 12" wide door. The glass is a bit hazed so the pic isn't great.

We have been settling into a bit of a routine, and with the warm weather I'm playing with slower burns overnight. The downside to that is I have to spend time burning down coals in the AM to have room for a good reload. I have been running it with a black firebox, but am still trying different air settings (my tendency is to overshoot and get the cat quite hot - I am not used to running with it black because my PH on this chimney will backpuff quite strongly).

 

[Flamestead]

After 10-11 days of steady burning we cleaned the cat this evening. I was very, very pleased - with my wood and burn habits and draft I would normally have some ash to vacuum off the cat at this point. The cat was very clean, so I just put it back in place. These steel cats seem to start off very reactive, and then settle in somewhat, so we'll see how this story plays out over time.

The bypass on this stove is more similar to the PH than the IS (a simple flapper, as opposed to the IS sled). I appreciate the simplicity of this design. The handle and the bypass flapper are all one unit (no linkages, etc).

 

[Woody Stover]

These steel cats seem to start off very reactive, and then settle in somewhat, so we'll see how this story plays out over time.

I've got the 6 x 2" round one from Woodstock in my Dutchwest. I never noticed a major difference as the cat broke in. I'd say you are about to the point where it has settled in to where it's gonna be.

 

[fortydegnorth]

How would you compare the heat output between the three hybrid stoves you've been using? I guess I'm curious if you feel the heat from one is more subtle, or one seems to be lacking for your space. The specs vary quite a bit on paper but often times it seems real world testing puts things on a much closer playing field. Obviously the capacities are different, but I'm more concerned about the "feel". I'm torn between all three of these stoves. I feel the progress is too much, if the IS goes low enough I would love the capacity and I'm concerned the AS will be too small and shorten the possible time between reloads.

 

[JA600L]

How would you compare the heat output between the three hybrid stoves you've been using? I guess I'm curious if you feel the heat from one is more subtle, or one seems to be lacking for your space. The specs vary quite a bit on paper but often times it seems real world testing puts things on a much closer playing field. Obviously the capacities are different, but I'm more concerned about the "feel". I'm torn between all three of these stoves. I feel the progress is too much, if the IS goes low enough I would love the capacity and I'm concerned the AS will be too small and shorten the possible time between reloads.

Your best bet there is to call Woodstock and ask them. They designed all three so they will be able to offer you sound advice.

 

[Flamestead]

How would you compare the heat output between the three hybrid stoves you've been using? I guess I'm curious if you feel the heat from one is more subtle, or one seems to be lacking for your space. The specs vary quite a bit on paper but often times it seems real world testing puts things on a much closer playing field. Obviously the capacities are different, but I'm more concerned about the "feel". I'm torn between all three of these stoves. I feel the progress is too much, if the IS goes low enough I would love the capacity and I'm concerned the AS will be too small and shorten the possible time between reloads.

I'll second @JA600L 's suggestion to call them, but also add my two cents.

The top-end burn on the PH is definitely the highest output of the three stoves. The heat coming off the front during a strong secondaries burn is quite impressive; in our big, drafty farmhouse, we appreciate that power. My wife loves the heat still in the soapstone in the mornings (she feels the steel stove are quite a bit cooler by morning).

The IS is the biggest firebox, and has excellent air control. It is deeper front-to-back, which gives you some flexibility (you can load your splits in either direction - if I had an IS long-term I probably would cut my wood 18" and load N/S all the time). Loading E/W, you can pull the coals forward and put large splits at the back bottom to help get a longer burn. The IS has the most exterior surface area - at 400 degrees I assume it will be releasing more heat than the other two. It is a big stove - my wife liked running it, but felt it was too big for where we want our second stove. I personally don't like a front-loader.

The Absolute Steel is not small, but is smaller than the other two. It is simpler in construction, is a side-loader, and has great air control. We will be buying one as our second stove.

Probably your best bet is to see all three in person (road trip east?). A different company once gave me contact info for people living close to me who had a boiler I was interested in, and we did a couple of house visits. I don't know if Woodstock ever connects people that way, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

 

[freeburn]

I'll second @JA600L 's suggestion to call them, but also add my two cents.

The top-end burn on the PH is definitely the highest output of the three stoves. The heat coming off the front during a strong secondaries burn is quite impressive; in our big, drafty farmhouse, we appreciate that power. My wife loves the heat still in the soapstone in the mornings (she feels the steel stove are quite a bit cooler by morning).

The IS is the biggest firebox, and has excellent air control. It is deeper front-to-back, which gives you some flexibility (you can load your splits in either direction - if I had an IS long-term I probably would cut my wood 18" and load N/S all the time). Loading E/W, you can pull the coals forward and put large splits at the back bottom to help get a longer burn. The IS has the most exterior surface area - at 400 degrees I assume it will be releasing more heat than the other two. It is a big stove - my wife liked running it, but felt it was too big for where we want our second stove. I personally don't like a front-loader.

The Absolute Steel is not small, but is smaller than the other two. It is simpler in construction, is a side-loader, and has great air control. We will be buying one as our second stove.

Probably your best bet is to see all three in person (road trip east?). A different company once gave me contact info for people living close to me who had a boiler I was interested in, and we did a couple of house visits. I don't know if Woodstock ever connects people that way, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

I asked about that very thing... They can't for confidentiality, but they suggested getting in touch on an online forum.

 

[BrotherBart]

Hell, they have prototypes in houses of members here and another site. What is the confidentiality crap? Tell Tom to just tell ya where those are or their id's on the sites. They love to brag about'em. Or PM those owners.

 

[Flamestead]

I asked about that very thing... They can't for confidentiality, but they suggested getting in touch on an online forum.

That makes sense - I wouldn't be too pleased getting a call out of the blue some evening from someone that got my home number from some place where I do business. Woodstock asked us once if a prospective customer could contact us (and we agreed) - but they probably try to stay out of that on a routine basis.

Forum members are welcome to see our setup in person. However, we are only 45 minutes from the showroom and have only two stoves to see; they do the tours, have stoves burning in the showroom, have employees who burn their stoves, and have multitudes of paint combinations and customization to see.

 

[Flamestead]

Glowing scoop around the cat (and a bunch of reflections!). Stove-top at 600. Air is fully closed, key-damper is fully closed.



Another shot to show where the heat is. I can hold my hand within half an inch of the glass for extended periods of time because all the heat is up above, at the cat.