How to choose PE or Blaze king

[Hogwildz]

One dealer I visisted sold PE and Blaze King. He was not at all wanting to show me the Blaze king princess. The dealer said all he gets is complaints on the stove I think that's alittle odd. He did try to push the PE very strongley easy to operate and so on he said he's had no complaint from PE owners. Is this a dealer that can be trusted?

Tough to tell, sounds like he is a bit lopsided to me. May be trying to get rid of excess stock of one stove over the other, who knows.
Ask him for references regarding the BK and the "unhappy" owners, so you can get their input. Maybe he wont give the info. As him what the complaints were specifically.
ALot of ppl complain when they first get their new stove, mostly cause they don't know how to operate it, &/or their wood is not as great & dry as they assume.

 

[jakehunter]

Is the ash pan useable on the PE summit model? I do think that a ash pan will be helpful. I have read where the T6's is useless. I believe it will have to be between the summit and t6 for me.

 

[Hogwildz]

Is the ash pan useable on the PE summit model? I do think that a ash pan will be helpful. I have read where the T6's is useless. I believe it will have to be between the summit and t6 for me.

Mine is the insert, thus no ash pan. IMO< all stove ashpans are useless.
Leaking seals, mess etc.
I am happy enough to just shovel the ash into a meal pail, put a lid on and take it outside.
I have a 30NC with an ash pan, Ill be blocking that up and also shoveling the ash out of that when I get her hooked up.
Just my opinion. Others may see it another way.

 

[gasavage]

The Summit & the T6 utilize the same firebox, they're just claded differently. The cast jacket of the T6 softens the radiant heat, but allows for more convection heat. Look at the Summit, Summit Classic & the T6 on PE's website, you'll notice the exterior differences...same firebox. All utilize the same ash dump, just differnt size of pans (I think).

 

[learnin to burn]

Just curious guys, How often do you have to rebuild/reseal the cast iron PE Stoves?

 

[Hogwildz]

Just curious guys, How often do you have to rebuild/reseal the cast iron PE Stoves?

Its not a complete cast iron stove. It is "clad" in cast iron. Which, if I understand correctly is just mounted on the outside of the plate steel firebox.
I am guessing no rebuilding or sealing is needed.

 

[begreen]

Correct. It's just a cast iron, outer jacket, no seals. The Summit is the same stove with a steel, outer jacket.

 

[madison]

jake,

could you ask the dealer to fire up each stove and compare?

depending on your layout, a radiant vs a convective stove may be a deciding factor on the purchase....

To answer one of your earlier questions, we are glad we went with the t6, it heats our 3300 sg ft. and I can fall asleep three feet from the stove during the fourth quarter of a colts vs patriots and not have a sunburned forehead.

i would search and read some more regarding each stove that you are considering.

EBT, I can say this much, a few days ago, I loaded the stove at 8 PM, it was a moderate evening, ~ 40 degrees overnight, mid upper 50's the next day so we did not need a ton heat, I waited until 4 PM the next day to add more wood. No newspaper or super cedars, or blowing etc, just some kindling and small splits and the fire was going again. I do not think there are any major issues with EBT, it is IMHO misunderstood and/or oversold/rated.

Bottom line, I would examine your home layout design, then decide what works or looks best.

 

[jakehunter]

Madison,

I did not even think about what heat I needed. With the layout of my house I think the T6 is the one I must choose. I think the steel summit would be just to much heat.

 

[madison]

jake,

it works for us, but, there are some places etc where i would NOT want a convective heater. ie, you come in from the cold, after a day of skiing, fishing etc, and you want to warm up your bones quickly.... Not the t6, it takes a bit, to get it warmed up, so it would not be ideal as an intermittant every other day burning type stove. It burned 24/7 last yr from late sept. til spring.

My wife can take care of the unit, and she falls asleep infront of it as well, she usually beats me to the closest chair...

 

[Bigg_Redd]

One dealer I visisted sold PE and Blaze King. He was not at all wanting to show me the Blaze king princess. The dealer said all he gets is compaints on the stove I think that's alittle odd. He did try to push the PE very strongley easy to operate and so on he said he's had no complaint from PE owners. Is this a dealer that can be trusted?

I have no idea why he'd shy away from the BKP, but the "nothing but problems" lines is hookum.

The PE is, in fact, simpler to operate - one vent handle.

If you got a heat pump and NG and you're mostly just trying to offset the cost (and warm the place up) then I would definitely go with a mid size stove. In fact, I would go with a PE. I love the BKs but I would never pay that east-of-the-Mississippi sucker tax that BK charges.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Just curious guys, How often do you have to rebuild/reseal the cast iron PE Stoves?

Never.

They are clad in cast iron. The firebox is steal.

 

[jakehunter]

Bigg Redd,

I have also, thought of going with the mis size stove but, what if I am hooked on wood heat and its not enough to heat the hole house? Should I expect a 2000 sf stove to heat a 2000 sf house in the dead of winter?
Thanks,

 

[begreen]

The heat output specs for the Summit and the Alderlea T6 are identical. The 2 cu ft PE Super series and the Alderlea T5 stoves are the next size down.

Do check on the heating bills and let us know. Most of our recommendations here are for older homes. If the monthly winter fuel usage on your new home is low, it could be that a 2 cu ft stove will work fine.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Bigg Redd,

I have also, thought of going with the mis size stove but, what if I am hooked on wood heat and its not enough to heat the hole house? Should I expect a 2000 sf stove to heat a 2000 sf house in the dead of winter?
Thanks,

If your house was built in 1950 or 1850 I'd say get the biggest stove available. But your house is 3 years old and I presume well insulated. IMO, a big stove is just too much for a newly built 2000 sq ft house.

 

[jakehunter]

Thanks, guys/ girls for all the help keep your coments coming.

 

[Patapsco Mike]

By all accounts you are looking at some nice stoves, and you can't go wrong either way. But having heated with a stove pretty similar to the steel PE, and now heating with a Bk Princess, I can say there is no way I would consider going back. The ability to burn a low, slow fire during the extended shoulder season this fall has been incredible. Being able to put just three modest sized logs into the stove and have it give a nice steady heat for 12 hours is fantastic. I am using less wood than I ever have, and I have way more control over heat output.

Don't be put off by the advertised 16" log length listed for the BK either, it will easily take a 19" log.

 

[jakehunter]

How often does a cat go bad in the BKP? Please, remember that this stove is $ 2,800.00 is it really worth that muck?????

 

[Bigg_Redd]

How often does a cat go bad in the BKP? Please, remember that this stove is $ 2,800.00 is it really worth that muck?????

That's about $800 more than my closest BK dealer is charging.

 

[MovingOffGrid]

where is the stove going to be located jakehunter? As I mentioned earlier, if it is in a confined room with no way to move the air around the home or natural convection pathway such as near a cold air return on a furnace etc, then go with a smaller stove. If you have a reasonably open living plan, then I would definitely go with a larger stove.

I have a tightly sealed home R20 walls and R40 ceilings and in shoulder season I burn small fires with door cracked - in dead of winter and everyone is struggling to stay warm, my whole 2 story house is toasty warm with just the Summit downstairs (I also have some vents to get air upstairs more easily)

If you are putting in new 6" centrally located chimney then the BK princess will work better for shoulder season as Mike states, and I am, envious of the Cats in that regard, but not sure if it can push the BTU's like the Summit can, when you really need it - he can answer that aspect better than I.

 

[jakehunter]

The stove will be located in the dinning room / kitchen no wall in between them very open room size 12 wide x 18/20 long the living room is on the same floor it is 15 x 18 there is a wall seperating the dinning are and living room but, two walk ins for the living room. The upstairs has 4 bedrooms and 2 bath's.

 

[MovingOffGrid]

ok ... next questions, do you and your wife like a very warm house in winter and no need for furnace? Unlike my house, your main living area is right there with the stove.

Will the stove become a nuisance when you leave a trail of wood bits and need a sweep couple times a day? Are you just wanting to supplement furnace?

If you don't mind a bit of manageable mess in your living area, like to watch a great light show in a big window and like it very warm (or cracking windows open in winter), and you want strong heating power, then I go large PE.

If you want more manageable heat over longer burn times, but *may *not have the max BTU's when really cold out to also fully heat your upstairs, and don't mind spending more, then I would go BK Princess.

The only other stove to my Summit I would consider, after doing extensive research and burning for 35 years on 4 stoves, is the BK Princess - BUT, my oversize large brick chimney will not work well with it, as they put up too little heat into the chimney, so Summit worked for me.

 

[Wet1]

If you are putting in new 6" centrally located chimney then the BK princess will work better for shoulder season as Mike states, and I am, envious of the Cats in that regard, but not sure if it can push the BTU's like the Summit can, when you really need it - he can answer that aspect better than I.

I would encourage you to read some of Wolfkiller's threads from last season if you doubt the BK's ability to pump out the heat. I want to say his BKK (the BKP is rated at almost the same btu) was able to heat his 2500 sq ft place in North Pole down to -44F before the furnace finally kicked on. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess the BKP would likely have no problem heating 2000 sq ft in OH.

As I mentioned earlier, if performance is the main criteria, the BKP would be the easy choice IMO. But I'll be the first to admit the T6 is more attractive.

Jake, the cat will typically last about 4 to 7 years, although I've heard of cats failing as quickly as two years and lasting as long as 15 years. Yes, there's an added expense of replacing the cat every so often. The flip side to that is the stove is more efficient and will burn less wood. Coupled with the better performance, I'd say the extra cost is well worth it.

 

[MovingOffGrid]

Your stove is in close quarters to wifey while she's working in the kitchen so the BK Princess or the PE T6 would definitely be a better fit for it's less searing heat output than the Summit.

The only sad part in going BK princess, is the large clear window and great secondary burn conversation piece light show on the PE is something I'd definitely miss, especially if the stove is in main living area.

Practicality usually wins for me, so in all honesty, hearing Wolfkiller's experiences, I would lean towards BK princess with PE T6 coming a close second.

 

[begreen]

practicality aside, what does the wife like?