Advice / Review need: Regency CI2600 fireplace insert risky & costly?

[jeffesonm]

Good looking insert... looks a lot like the Osburn Matrix.

I say go for it! I bought the Osburn Matrix two years back and faced the same dilemma... few reviews, not much feedback, etc. I was really happy with the fit, finish, and operation of the stove. I ended up replacing it for a bigger freestanding stove, but I suspect one day there will be another Matrix in my future. Or maybe this one from Regency! I looked at their smaller CI1250 but it was definitely too small. If this was available it definitely would be in the running. Regency has a good rep, as do cat stoves overall.

 

[ctswf]

Good looking insert... looks a lot like the Osburn Matrix.

I say go for it! I bought the Osburn Matrix two years back and faced the same dilemma... few reviews, not much feedback, etc. I was really happy with the fit, finish, and operation of the stove. I ended up replacing it for a bigger freestanding stove, but I suspect one day there will be another Matrix in my future. Or maybe this one from Regency! I looked at their smaller CI1250 but it was definitely too small. If this was available it definitely would be in the running. Regency has a good rep, as do cat stoves overall.

how big is your home that you decided to go with a larger stove? im seriously considering the matrix right now

 

[jeffesonm]

1800 sq ft... read more here. This guy bought mine and is quite happy with it.

 

[ctswf]

1800 sq ft... read more here. This guy bought mine and is quite happy with it.

thanks, im also at 1800sq ft and had heard mention of the matrix blower being a little loud, a complaint you also mention in the link there.

 

[Jonny006]

$2700? Wish I paid that. I was @3300 all in. No liner no install. That was with blower. These stoves are ala carte so the blower is an option. I also had to get the oversized backing plate. There was a rebate of like $300 which basically covered the blower cost. If I paid too much so be it. The service I got from the stove place was top notch and they are knowledgable and always answer my questions.
As a side note, I had 25' of liner that I got off a friend. When I sent it down the chimney I was short @16". The stove place gave me an additional 4' of liner for free and a coupling for $20. I thought that was pretty cool since they did not sell me the liner.
I still have not installed the stove. Need to fix the liner issue and get some guys to help me get the stove into the house. It's heavy. I'm hoping this week.

 

[canospam]

$2700? Wish I paid that. I was @3300 all in. No liner no install. That was with blower. These stoves are ala carte so the blower is an option. I also had to get the oversized backing plate. There was a rebate of like $300 which basically covered the blower cost. If I paid too much so be it. The service I got from the stove place was top notch and they are knowledgable and always answer my questions.

Grabbed the invoice and the exact numbers:
CI2600: $2894
Contemporary Faceplate: $193
Blower: $278
Oversize Backing Plate: $87
Regency Winter Promo: -$278 (Free blower)
Discount from shop: -$275
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total $2899

The original question was asked about the cost of the stove alone. Nothing else. That would have been about $2700 (Assuming a smaller discount from the shop). Also, are you including tax in your total?
Either way, I'm posting it here to give people an idea of the cost of this thing (Another thing I had a hard time tracking down when I was researching).

 

[Jonny006]

Grabbed the invoice and the exact numbers:
CI2600: $2894
Contemporary Faceplate: $193
Blower: $278
Oversize Backing Plate: $87
Regency Winter Promo: -$278 (Free blower)
Discount from shop: -$275
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total $2899

The original question was asked about the cost of the stove alone. Nothing else. That would have been about $2700 (Assuming a smaller discount from the shop). Also, are you including tax in your total?
Either way, I'm posting it here to give people an idea of the cost of this thing (Another thing I had a hard time tracking down when I was researching).

Just pulled up my invoice.
Stove was $2894
Low profile faceplate $193
Backing plate $77
Blower $278
Promo -$278
My total was $3164 plus Uncle Sams cut for the lazy majority who do nothing $200.91
Grand total of $3364.91
No friendly discount
Seems on par with what you paid. I don't feel shafted at least.
Now I just wish my free liner was 6" and not the 5" as I discovered tonight..

 

[ctswf]

did either of you happen to notice when shopping if the ci2600 is the identical product as hi400? i cant seem to find a difference in specs other than the trim kit.

thanks for the info on pricing im going to see if I can find one on display somewhere. Do you happen to know if the 2.6cu ft firebox is measure before of after the bricks are in? A sales guy in ct said some companies list box measurements without bricks, some with

 

[Jonny006]

did either of you happen to notice when shopping if the ci2600 is the identical product as hi400? i cant seem to find a difference in specs other than the trim kit.

thanks for the info on pricing im going to see if I can find one on display somewhere. Do you happen to know if the 2.6cu ft firebox is measure before of after the bricks are in? A sales guy in ct said some companies list box measurements without bricks, some with

The HI400 is cast iron I believe. Other than that it appears the same. My wife preferred the contemporary look of the CI2600.

 

[ctswf]

haha seems like everyones wife prefers the flush contemporary look, including my wife. right now she will except nothing else.

 

[canospam]

did either of you happen to notice when shopping if the ci2600 is the identical product as hi400? i cant seem to find a difference in specs other than the trim kit.

thanks for the info on pricing im going to see if I can find one on display somewhere. Do you happen to know if the 2.6cu ft firebox is measure before of after the bricks are in? A sales guy in ct said some companies list box measurements without bricks, some with

Ya, I noticed that, too. Looks like the same stove, different trim, and as Jonny006 pointed out, cast iron. The firebrick assembly is identical.
Also, I got the same input from my wife. Go flush contemporary or go home. Flush contemporary it is.

 

[Brewster812]

I'm also looking at the Cl2600. I've been thru all the info on the Regency website at least 3 times and recall seeing somewhere that there is an optional digital cat temperature gauge. Do you think this is needed? Seems like a good idea since it sounds like the cat needs to be 500-700 degrees before its engaged. Or am I making it more complicated than it really is? I'm going to my local dealer this weekend and will report back with quoted pricing. Thanks for everyone's input, I've really learned a lot from the site in the past few days.

 

[Seachaser]

This has been helpful as well for me. I have been researching and attempting to appease my bride with options for the past 2 months and it looks like I will be going with the CI2600 this Saturday. I have a big fireplace (48x31) and the size / viewing area in this unit appears to be the best fit, and bride pleased with looks. Looking forward to seeing pictures as these get installed. I'll share details and pricing as I move forward.

 

[Jonny006]

First fire with mine today. I think since it was so much money I was expecting to be blown away.
Meh..it works. I've never had an insert, prior to this I had a free standing stove. I was expecting more heat from it but it's still new so time will tell.
I have a question for those who use this stove. The air control on the front does not seem to do anything. All the way left is wide open and right is less air correct? Well, on my stove moving the lever does not seem to do anything whatsoever. Also I noticed that the lever does not go all the way right. It stops a little past halfway and there is about two inches of "slide area" to go. Any ideas?

 

[Grisu]

First fire with mine today. I think since it was so much money I was expecting to be blown away.
Meh..it works. I've never had an insert, prior to this I had a free standing stove. I was expecting more heat from it but it's still new so time will tell.
I have a question for those who use this stove. The air control on the front does not seem to do anything. All the way left is wide open and right is less air correct? Well, on my stove moving the lever does not seem to do anything whatsoever. Also I noticed that the lever does not go all the way right. It stops a little past halfway and there is about two inches of "slide area" to go. Any ideas?

That does not sound right. I don't know your insert but not seeing any effect when closing the primary air is weird. I would be suspicious that something with the air control is not working as it should. I would contact the dealer and have him come out.

 

[dondero14]

I've had my Regency CI2600 for a week. I was totally sold with what was advertised and it sounded like it fit exactly what i need for my home. When i first got it installed, I started out with the small fires and such and played with it for a few days to break it in and figure it out. After firing it off for a few day and playing around with it, i noticed the insert def did throw off good heat and heat up my whole floor plan, especially with marginal size fires. What I am very skeptical on and very unsure about is the advertised burn time. I've packed the insert twice so far with wood, and with the bypass closed and the draft damper closed off all the way, the most i was able to get out of a burn was 7-8 hours with some small amounts of coals in the bottom. What I did notice was even with the draft control all the way down, the insert still was baking up a pretty good size flame in the bottom. My conclusion is i still haven't packed the firebox full enough with wood. I think the best approach starting from nothing is to get a hot fire with some dried kindling, then toss a couple logs in with the bypass open and draft control open all the way to get the inside cooking with some good coals. Clear a little path in the coal and ashes from the middle of the front to the middle of the back for the air control to flow from the front to back. After that is set, pack full the firebox to the gills with wood. Allow it to light off a bit with the door cracked open for a minute then shut it and start you 10-15 min time to close the bypass. After a couple minutes with the door shut, close the draft control a bit so that there isn't an inferno started in the fire box. After 10-15 min, close the bypass and let her burn. Like I said this is the approach i used the last time and I was only able to get an 8 hour burn time. I don't expect 14+ hours burn time, but I'm still looking to achieve at least 12 hours so if anyone has any ideas I'd appreciate it too. I just hope the 14+ hours burn time isn't somewhat of a false advertisement because it is a lot of wood to stack in the firebox.

 

[Jonny006]

I've had my Regency CI2600 for a week. I was totally sold with what was advertised and it sounded like it fit exactly what i need for my home. When i first got it installed, I started out with the small fires and such and played with it for a few days to break it in and figure it out. After firing it off for a few day and playing around with it, i noticed the insert def did throw off good heat and heat up my whole floor plan, especially with marginal size fires. What I am very skeptical on and very unsure about is the advertised burn time. I've packed the insert twice so far with wood, and with the bypass closed and the draft damper closed off all the way, the most i was able to get out of a burn was 7-8 hours with some small amounts of coals in the bottom. What I did notice was even with the draft control all the way down, the insert still was baking up a pretty good size flame in the bottom. My conclusion is i still haven't packed the firebox full enough with wood. I think the best approach starting from nothing is to get a hot fire with some dried kindling, then toss a couple logs in with the bypass open and draft control open all the way to get the inside cooking with some good coals. Clear a little path in the coal and ashes from the middle of the front to the middle of the back for the air control to flow from the front to back. After that is set, pack full the firebox to the gills with wood. Allow it to light off a bit with the door cracked open for a minute then shut it and start you 10-15 min time to close the bypass. After a couple minutes with the door shut, close the draft control a bit so that there isn't an inferno started in the fire box. After 10-15 min, close the bypass and let her burn. Like I said this is the approach i used the last time and I was only able to get an 8 hour burn time. I don't expect 14+ hours burn time, but I'm still looking to achieve at least 12 hours so if anyone has any ideas I'd appreciate it too. I just hope the 14+ hours burn time isn't somewhat of a false advertisement because it is a lot of wood to stack in the firebox.

Agreed. I've had two fires thus far and the burn times are not what I expected.
I also called the place I got the stove from and they said the draft control will not produce a visual result and that the handle may not go all the way right. Seems strange but ill monitor it.
I don't know how this stove could do a 14 hr burn much less a 12hr given the size of the firebox. I cut my wood pretty small and I still can't really pack it in there. I do miss the top loading feature of my old defiant:-(
I does state that it requires some break in and that it won't be 100% until a few fires. Also I'm getting some puffing back into the room after opening the door even though I'm cracking it slightly as advised. There seems to be sufficient draft when the stove is going good so I'm not sure the reason behind that. Are others turning off the fan when loading? Maybe that's why.
I'm still in the early stages of using the stove so I will continue to report on my findings.

 

[begreen]

It's early in the season and the temps are too mild to see how well the stove is going to perform. It is also going to want fully seasoned wood to burn properly. The backpuffs sound like weak draft, probably also due to the mild weather. How tall is the chimney?

To reduce any backpuffs try opening up the air control fully, then waiting 5-10 seconds before slowly opening up the door.

 

[dondero14]

I haven't had any problems with back puffing, even with the draft control closed all the way. As a note to an above post, I can definatly see and tell a difference with the draft open and closed. BEGREEN, I don't follow why the temp outside and fully seasoned wood would have an effect on a burn time. I'm just baffled that the accuracy of a burn time is literally several hours off. Every time I've packed the firebox I've had the draft closed off all the way to try and get the most time out of the burn but am not making much. What's your longest burn time for all of you that has this insert.

 

[begreen]

Stoves perform differently in mild weather. With colder outside temps the draft increases. That often improves secondary combustion making the stove more efficiently burn at a lower air setting.

 

[dondero14]

Stoves perform differently in mild weather. With colder outside temps the draft increases. That often improves secondary combustion making the stove more efficiently burn at a lower air setting.

Good to know. Thanks for the advise. Do you think that will make up for hours of a difference in a burn at all?

 

[begreen]

Burn times are affected by a number of factors. The dryness of the wood, the way the firebox is packed, size of splits, wood species, atmospherics, user settings, etc.. But mostly they are a marketing term. You'll note that they say provides warmth for over 14 hrs., not how much warmth. I can get 14 hrs of warmth out of the T6 with a bit larger firebox. But it's going to be 100F warmth by then most likely.

 

[Jonny006]

Burn times are affected by a number of factors. The dryness of the wood, the way the firebox is packed, size of splits, wood species, atmospherics, user settings, etc.. But mostly they are a marketing term. You'll note that they say provides warmth for over 14 hrs., not how much warmth. I can get 14 hrs of warmth out of the T6 with a bit larger firebox. But it's going to be 100F warmth by then most likely.

Well, I don't know why but the draft control on my stove doesn't do anything really. I took the front off it today to try and see the mechanism but there doesn't seem to be a way to. Frustrating. And I still get a small amount of smoke and smoke odor when I open the door. Regardless of what I do. I did say previouly that I don't shut off the fan when loading but no one has replied either way on that. The manual says nothing to the effect either. For reference my liner is 25' and that's from the exit of the stove to the top cap. When the door is shut, cat is bypassed and lever is open(assuming it works) the draft is very strong. It sounds like a diesel train.
Tonight I'm gonna pack it really well and see what kind of burn time I get. I'm skeptical that it will go longer than 8hrs but we shall see.

 

[Grisu]

I did say previouly that I don't shut off the fan when loading but no one has replied either way on that.

Just try it and see if it makes a difference. At least any smoke won't blow right in your face. Are you opening the bypass before opening the door?

Btw. Small split size means more surface area and faster outgassing of the wood. You may get longer burn times by putting larger splits in. As far as I know the cat also needs some "break-in" period. The results you are getting now may not be the same in a few months. That said, Regency is relatively new to the cat/hybrid game. I would be surprised if they have figured out their catalytic design as well as BlazeKing or Woodstock who have been doing cat stoves for a long time.

 

[Graham Denham]

Well, I don't know why but the draft control on my stove doesn't do anything really. I took the front off it today to try and see the mechanism but there doesn't seem to be a way to. Frustrating. And I still get a small amount of smoke and smoke odor when I open the door. Regardless of what I do. I did say previouly that I don't shut off the fan when loading but no one has replied either way on that. The manual says nothing to the effect either. For reference my liner is 25' and that's from the exit of the stove to the top cap. When the door is shut, cat is bypassed and lever is open(assuming it works) the draft is very strong. It sounds like a diesel train.
Tonight I'm gonna pack it really well and see what kind of burn time I get. I'm skeptical that it will go longer than 8hrs but we shall see.

Me too. I'm on about my fourth fire with my new unit. On my old Regency insert, the draft control made a huge difference. On the new one, I barely notice the difference between open and closed. It burns through a load of wood quite quickly on the lowest setting. Gives a lot of heat, of course. I was trying to see how it worked to see if there was a problem with the mechanism or installation, but I couldn't figure it out.

Would be nice to be able to slow it down.