Do I buy the Lopi Leyden or the Quadra Fire Mt Vernon AE??

[IHATEPROPANE]

I'm not so concerned with the price of parts. Way I see it, if the company is profitable, they can build and develop new equipment, take the M55 for example... Should be no surprise that NOW Harman is making an upgrade to the Accentra. The Accentra has been the staple of fireplace inserts for almost 10 years and is their #1 selling item. The only competitor was the Mt Vernon which is also HHT... So until the M55 there is not much incentive. Mark my words...the M55 will knock the Accentra out of place, including the 52i. HHT is gong to enjoy slower sales. The bigger they are the harder they fall!

Sounds like someone who may be selling Enviros....lmfao

I do agree that the M55 is a better product IMHO, but the Harman following and reputation is very solid and it will be a formidable challenge.

 

[smwilliamson]

The down side to selli g product, my objectivness is now questioned

 

[stovelark]

Hi guys- I agree with a lot of the above. The M55 is getting more and more buzz at the store, Enviro as a whole, very solid and quiet pellet stoves. I sell a lot of CB1200 Quads still, not so much of the MV AE, too many bad experiences in the past. The M55's price point is better than the MV, that helps it too. Lots of good stoves out there as long as theres good pellets to burn in them.

 

[smwilliamson]

Or of you have an M55 it doesn't really matter...having good pellets that is

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

The down side to selli g product, my objectivness is now questioned

I was just busting balls (can I say that??) A little off topic but I am hoping Hudson River starts selling a version of the M55

 

[smwilliamson]

I keep hearing rumors of that.

 

[stovelark]

Hi all- good pellets always help. Enviro makes H River's Davenport now and Regency's Greenfire and GCI60. Never know who's next??

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

I keep hearing rumors of that.

This year they introduced the Chatham a copy of another Enviro. The only reason I prefer the Hudson River is my local shop with a good reputation carries them, the dealer with the bad rep (according to reviews online) carries the Enviros

 

[stovelark]

Hi I hate- Yes heard about the Chatham. Great deal for Hudson River and your local shop. I'm also assuming the dealer with the bad rep (according to online reviews) is the dealer and not the Enviros, ha.

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

Hi I hate- Yes heard about the Chatham. Great deal for Hudson River and your local shop. I'm also assuming the dealer with the bad rep (according to online reviews) is the dealer and not the Enviros, ha.

Yes, there seems to be issues with the dealer.

 

[spyderman]

Our dilemma is in trying to figure out which one is more reputable in terms of performance and warranty. I have read horror stories about the Quadra Fire breaking down A LOT.
It has been pointed out by both sales people at the two different stores that the Lopi is tested in WA state where it's colder (like CT winters), whereas the Quadra Fire is tested in Florida or CA (can't remember which one they said), so that might be why the rating is at 2900 sq ft. The sales person said herself (For the Quadra Fire) said that for the specific reason the unit is tested in warmer weather, it may NOT heat up to that much, and really be around 2500 sq ft. My husband doesn't buy that theory however, his point is that if it's 60 degrees, the unit will identify 60 degrees and heat accordingly. Also, I'm not sure if this makes a difference (a sales person pointed it out), the Lopi is made in the USA where the Quadra Fire is not.


Thanks in advance!!

I had older models that ran 15 years w/out a problem. I bought one in a rental that was bottom end -- works perfectly no issues for 5 years. 3 years ago I bought the top of the line Mt Vernon AE ... everything is great except three things: 1) I breaks all the time, constantly, several times per winter. My old stove burned 2 tons per year, this one has gone through 1/2 ton in 3 -- not due to efficiency, due to being unable to use it. 2) Their warranty policy forces their dealers to be unavailable when you need them -- in the winter. It is 6 months on parts. So if it is April/May and the company has nothing to do, nobody calls for service because all the parts will be out of warrant by the time winter rolls around. As a consequence, when winter starts they are doing routine maintenance books for months in advance. So if yours does not work, forget about getting it fixed. 3) Customer service is useless -- they talk nice and do nothing. This stove I bought brand new, had it installed by the dealer (like all my others), and it has never worked for more than short periods. Total junk.

 

[kappel15]

The AE has 60,200 btu's max. Will heat 2400 to 3800 sq ft. But, as SmokeytheBear stated, a lot depends on the structure you are going to heat, and how efficiently it was built. And one of the most key issues in buying a stove is how good the dealer is after the sale. Find some customers of both dealers you have in your area and see how they did with customer service, and how many parts they keep on hand so you aren't waiting for parts to be shipped if you have an issue. kap

 

[Wilbur Feral]

First, comments about square footage being unreliable are spot on. Pure theory and marketing and totally unreliable across manufacturers as it depends on the building.

As for stove choice, I hesitated to comment, but after owning an MVAE for six seasons now, and also owning an old Whitfield and now a Santa Fe, I would not buy an MVAE again. The stove's design is just far too complex, and putting much of the "brain" in what I find to be a mediocre at best, proprietary thermostat, leaves much to be desired (in fact, it's just stupid, IMO). The stove does too much thinking without the ability to "tune" it, which makes it great for the first time stove buyer but disappointing once you learn much about how a stove works, because you are largely stuck with middle of the road average performance for almost any situation. I'm also on my third stat in three years, on a stove that sits behind a very expensive UPS system and whole house surge suppressors.

Finally, I find that some of the "fit and finish" of the MVAE declines more than it should as the stove ages, with rattles becoming more common and the use of inexpensive screws and sheet metal where a slightly beefier hardware would have allowed for better tightening after servicing the stove. It does not age as well as I would have expected, and runs quieter with both exterior side panels removed. That does little for the Wife Acceptance Factor, though, so I battle the rattles. The use of DC motors is a big plus, I agree. But all in all, I think it's overpriced for what you get, and I would consider other stoves if it ever needs replacement.

 

[gblaue]

I've had my Mt.Vernon AE since 2009. We heat our 22oo sq ft house with it completely. It does work hard, and well. Except for we have cracked 7-8 baffles, which have been covered under warranty, until this last weekend. Apparently, Quadrafire only warrantees it for 5 years. Now every time it cracks, it will cost me another $175. The shame of it is that Quadrafire knows that there is a problem with the baffle, and has made several changes. Apparently, not fixed yet. Last year was my 5the season with it. The year started off with a noisy feed motor. $120. Then the combustion blower started making noise. $270. Next the convection blower was surging. $270. While replacing the blower motor, I found that the connector pins that connect the blower motor to the computer, had basically disintegrated. Luckily I am a EE, with vast resources available to me, and I was able to replace the pins and connectors with something more heavy duty and appropriate. The only thing that hasn't gone on me yet is the autoclean motor. I have replace many igniters and thermocouples. You should keep spares on hand.

I really like the stove, but it should be better than this at 5 years. And Quadrafire should honor all stoves that break the baffles, not just the first 5 years for stoves built after 2008.

 

[Phil Do's fire.]

The quality of Quadrafire has went down hill since Aladdin industries sold out to Chinese investors. I loved my Quad but would not buy another. Lopi has been going downhill for years, neighbors have bought and sold newer units do to issues.