Blaze King Inserts: Princess vs. Ashford 25

[atame]

first time wood stove buyer! I live in a NY Cape style house (dormers upstairs) with a masonry fireplace. I have gas heat to supplement the wood stove. I’ve been reading here extensively to learn which type of stove would best fit my needs and it has come down to these two.

Basically, I can get a display model Blaze King Princess at a substantial discount ($1000 not including install) or go with my initial choice, the Ashford 25. I know this a decision only my budget can make, but I’d love to hear if anyone has seen or used both of these burning and what the final impression was. I don’t want to jump at the savings but not enjoy the ambiance. And these two seem so comparable in all but aesthetic that it makes sense to ask if there is something I should consider about performance? Or is this purely a choice of tastes?

 

[begreen]

Good question. That is a great deal. I would think that the more modern Ashford would keep a cleaner glass. For the Princess, there may be a little more chance for smoke spillage if draft is weak due to the sloped front. On the other hand the Princess has a bigger belly and should therefore have a bit longer burn time. @twd000 and @jetsam have Princess inserts.

 

[Tegbert]

I can tell you that if I came across that deal there wouldn’t be an ashford in my fireplace right now.

Other than that I have nothing else to say.


Lopi Rockport
Blaze King Ashford 25

 

[jetsam]

I've never even seen the Ashford outside of pictures, sorry. The Princess is a great heater.

In most things, pretty is the opposite of functional. Dunno how true that is here, but it does appear that the Princess has a lot more surface area exposed to the room than the Ashford does.

The only advantage I see to the Ashford is lower emissions. It'd be a hard choice for me if the Ashford was $2000 cheaper than the Princess; pretty easy when the Princess is cheaper!

 

[BKVP]

Remember, the Princess insert has 12.5" in front and add 16" to that for hearth protection requirement. Up late on red-eye, would have posted sooner.

 

[bholler]

I've never even seen the Ashford outside of pictures, sorry. The Princess is a great heater.

In most things, pretty is the opposite of functional. Dunno how true that is here, but it does appear that the Princess has a lot more surface area exposed to the room than the Ashford does.

The only advantage I see to the Ashford is lower emissions. It'd be a hard choice for me if the Ashford was $2000 cheaper than the Princess; pretty easy when the Princess is cheaper!

You cant overlook the aesthetics either. I dont think the princess insert looks nearly as bad as tge free stander but it certainly isnt a looker. Now is that worth the price difference? I cant say that

 

[atame]

I appreciate your responses. Here is a picture of the current fireplace. Also not a "looker" lol. I will have to remove some of the wood and extend the hearth, but the princess with shroud seems to fit the firebox opening pretty well. Just wondering if I would miss having a larger fire show. Thanks for the input. This is a great and helpful forum..

 

[spudman99]

While I do not currently own an insert or woodstove, I am in a similar situation in terms of evaluating a Princess vs a Sirocco. Have been considering both now for several months and I would like to share some of my evaluation criteria.

1. How will you use the stove? For primary heat and as the principal source of warmth to most of the house, the Princess wins, score for the price discount on top. If it is more for aesthetics, then the Ashford hands down. My wife says the Princess is a no go based on looks period.

2. What are your burning habits, routine, needs? For weekend and ambience burns, and not a 24/7 routine, then I would vote Ashford. Do you have the time, energy and willingness to feed the stove at least 2 times per day, move wood to the staging areas, clean the ash and have a safe place to dump them? Do you have the time and ability to clean the flue on a regular basis as a precautionary maintenance matter? Your work, family and social life all impact the ability to maximize your investment. Don't let an impulse purchase based on the touted benefits of BK sway your projected practical use of the device.

3. Do you have a source of wood and the ability to stack several years of supply? That is clearly understood, but see #2 above as it does take time, energy and you need tools such as trucks, trailers, land and equipment. I do not know much about Westchester NY, but I assume you have considered those factors.

4. How will the insert look within the room? No question you are now making the fireplace appliance a central focus of that room. From your photo you will be making a substantial change to the mantle, surround and the hearth. Forgetting cost, that will change the appearance of that portion of the room, especially if you go with a Princess and have to extend the floor hearth to a minimum of 30" from the brick (current slate looks about 18" deep). That extra extension may impact the look of the fireplace wall, rendering the insert and hearth out of balance with the size of the surround relative to the mantle and side pieces. The Ashford may not require much of a hearth extension and thus keep the balance of the aesthetics in check.

 

[atame]

While I do not currently own an insert or woodstove, I am in a similar situation in terms of evaluating a Princess vs a Sirocco. Have been considering both now for several months and I would like to share some of my evaluation criteria.

1. How will you use the stove? For primary heat and as the principal source of warmth to most of the house, the Princess wins, score for the price discount on top. If it is more for aesthetics, then the Ashford hands down. My wife says the Princess is a no go based on looks period.

2. What are your burning habits, routine, needs? For weekend and ambience burns, and not a 24/7 routine, then I would vote Ashford. Do you have the time, energy and willingness to feed the stove at least 2 times per day, move wood to the staging areas, clean the ash and have a safe place to dump them? Do you have the time and ability to clean the flue on a regular basis as a precautionary maintenance matter? Your work, family and social life all impact the ability to maximize your investment. Don't let an impulse purchase based on the touted benefits of BK sway your projected practical use of the device.

3. Do you have a source of wood and the ability to stack several years of supply? That is clearly understood, but see #2 above as it does take time, energy and you need tools such as trucks, trailers, land and equipment. I do not know much about Westchester NY, but I assume you have considered those factors.

4. How will the insert look within the room? No question you are now making the fireplace appliance a central focus of that room. From your photo you will be making a substantial change to the mantle, surround and the hearth. Forgetting cost, that will change the appearance of that portion of the room, especially if you go with a Princess and have to extend the floor hearth to a minimum of 30" from the brick (current slate looks about 18" deep). That extra extension may impact the look of the fireplace wall, rendering the insert and hearth out of balance with the size of the surround relative to the mantle and side pieces. The Ashford may not require much of a hearth extension and thus keep the balance of the aesthetics in check.

These are all great considerations as well. The fireplace is the first thing you see walking into the living room (opposite the entry). I’m trying to take everything into consideration but the BK (any model) is attractive based on long burn times, especially during shoulder season. I don’t use my fireplace very much as is because it’s so large I am constantly feeding wood into it. A friend at work has the stand alone princess and he can get 20 hours from one load (depending on temp of course). I’m pretty flexible on using it as a supplement to heating. Paying $450/month this winter has been crazy so even if I can cut that in half I would be happy. Especially given the price discount. Finally based on what I’m seeing for the Sirocco and Ashford, they seem to have higher clearance requirements than the princess (aside from the hearth). Please feel free to correct me on this @BKVP I’m going to do some more measuring. Again, great criteria for consideration. Thank you.

 

[mellow]

If you can get a princess for $1k and it fits in your fireplace and you can live with its looks I would jump on that deal.

The Sirocco 25 would be $2k more and the Ashford would be even more. I can't say the 25 is $2k+ better.

 

[atame]

If you can get a princess for $1k and it fits in your fireplace and you can live with its looks I would jump on that deal.

The Sirocco 25 would be $2k more and the Ashford would be even more. I can't say the 25 is $2k+ better.

Thanks. It's actually only discounted 1k. If the price was 1k, I would be installing it instead of checking this thread! lol I even made cut outs of the different size glass windows, and while the difference is significant, I don't think it's a dealbreaker for me.

That said, I have decided to get the Princess. (YAAAAAYYYY) The width clearance on the Ashford would have forced me to completely redo my fireplace surround. I'll still have to do a bit of work on my fireplace surround, but not to the extent that the Ashford would require. Aside from losing out on the princess savings (and efficiency) I would end up spending even more to get the fireplace up to code if I decided to get the Ashford. I'm excited for next season already Thank you all for the input on this forum.

 

[spudman99]

Keep us posted on the install (photos preferred) and your thoughts. Always helpful to others who are in a similar situation. Also fun to hear success stories.

 

[atame]

Just installed princess yesterday. This was a long haul from this past spring when I first posted but I’m happy. I don’t understand the fuss about appearance as I think it fits in well. Bought a smoke guard to install where there’s a gap between the shroud and the brick. Also need to extend the hearth a bit.

I hired a chimney company to do the install. A friend offered to help put it in but I would have been too worried about him falling off the roof to go that route. It went mostly okay but the installer never bothered with the leveling screws or the installation strips and I had to keep referring him to the install instructions.

I didn’t make a fuss until after he had connected the liner and it was clear that the shroud was not flush with the firebox. At the bottom it was on the brick but the top protruded about an inch (or more! Gasp) leaving a gap. He kept checking with a level saying the brick wasn’t level but the insert was which made no sense. I realized that he was only checking ACROSS not front to back and it was clear the princess was tipping forward due to the pitch of the stone underneath it. The terrible part is that he told me he has seen this before and leveling it back to front would not fix the issue. “He’s done this in other homes and it’s still gonna be the same way after.” He was a young guy and I’m sure he was thinking this lady doesn’t know what she’s talking about. But I insisted because either way I want my stove to be level, man. So... he took it out, used the leveling screws WITH THE INSTALLATION STRIPS I suggested to make it level. And eureka it worked. I still want to make adjustments to make it look pretty but I got this beast for the heat and I’m really looking forward to enjoying it.

 

[jetsam]

Get yourself a hearth pad, and break in the stove now while it's still warm outside so you can have the windows open while the new paint cures.