What is problematic about having outside air come in thru the top of a basement wall and down into the stove? Englanders are good basic reliable stoves but many of them do not have the features that the more expensive pellet stoves have. Older Hudson River stoves did have problems, but since Enviro bought them out, the new re-designed stoves are terrific. If the Hudson River Kinderhook was out when I bought mine I would have got it! The Kinderhook with it's 3 bag hopper and nice deep ash pan is great for a basement install. The Enviro style burn chamber and burn pot is one of the best in the industry! Their digital control panel is also one of the best in reliability and features! Working on a T-Stat, it is nice to have Auto-On/Off for the shoulder seasons and Auto Hi/Lo for the deep winter months! Not all USSC stoves are made in China. Enviro made by Sherwood Industries is a Canadian company and Inca Metal Cutting LTD that fabricates many of the USSC stoves is also located in Canada.
Inca Metal Cutting LTD 2771 Viscount Way Richmond, BCV6V 2X4
http://www.yelp.com/biz/inca-metal-cutting-ltd-richmond
See price and features of this HR Kinderhook 59k BTU appliance! > (broken link removed)
Also I owned one of these stoves and the looks, price, features and the 48k BTUs it cranks out is hard to beat!
http://www.tractorsupply.com/united-states-stove-bay-front-pellet-heater-1015646
Pic of my USSC 5660 below. Click pic to enlarge.
Hard to see the beautiful chrome trim on the door and grill in the pic. The fake logs and fire brick in back are pretty!