Need help choosing a better stove

[bigbluebus]

The Summit would have closed the air supply on its own and prevented the overfire.

The Summit is a nice stove, but it would not close down the air to prevent overfire.

I'm not familiar with the operation of a Summit as I do not have one in operation yet, but (I assume) if I had started the same fire with the Summit as opposed to the Highlander, after adding a couple of splits to a dying fire, I could turn down the air lever to minimum and if the firebox needed more air the EBT would open the air supply on it's own to get it up to operating temp, then gradually close it again after the fire got going. With the Highlander, if I add a couple of splits to a dying down fire, I have to keep the air supply lever in full open position for 15-20 minutes until it gets up to temp again, then I have to turn it down or it will overfire; My chimney is a straight shot up 24' and has a great draft so it builds a fire quickly.

Please tell me if the above operating assumption of the Summit is correct.

Also, after looking at the complete PE line, the Alderlea T6 is growing on me; I figured for few hundred $$ more, I could get one that is both functional AND beautiful!
Any thoughts?

Will the Alderlea T6 require an 8" flue? I hope not since I already installed a 6" all the way up. Or can I get by with the 6" on a larger firebox stove as long as I'm careful and don't build large fires.

I've been in my attic several times after install and during full load burns to check on things up there. I was pleasantly surprised that with a full fire blaring in the Highlander below, the chimney pipe (Class A) that I touched with my bare hand, was just slightly warmer than the attic rafters. I was also pleasantly surprised that once the fire gets going there is no black smoke being emitted from the cap, it looks like my gas furnace flue, clear wavy gas on warmer days and white smoke (steam) on very cold nights.

 

[moosetrek]

If you order the Summit, I highly recommend the blower - I have tall ceilings and a not-so-open floor plan and had a nightmare heating with my stove until I added the blower. I can't emphasize enough how much difference it made in my case, I was ready to return a great stove out of frustration until I added a simple $260 blower. Like buying a sports car with no tires. All the HP ain't nothin' without a way to move it.

 

[begreen]

The Summit would have closed the air supply on its own and prevented the overfire.

The Summit is a nice stove, but it would not close down the air to prevent overfire.

I'm not familiar with the operation of a Summit as I do not have one in operation yet, but (I assume) if I had started the same fire with the Summit as opposed to the Highlander, after adding a couple of splits to a dying fire, I could turn down the air lever to minimum and if the firebox needed more air the EBT would open the air supply on it's own to get it up to operating temp, then gradually close it again after the fire got going. With the Highlander, if I add a couple of splits to a dying down fire, I have to keep the air supply lever in full open position for 15-20 minutes until it gets up to temp again, then I have to turn it down or it will overfire; My chimney is a straight shot up 24' and has a great draft so it builds a fire quickly.

Please tell me if the above operating assumption of the Summit is correct.

Also, after looking at the complete PE line, the Alderlea T6 is growing on me; I figured for few hundred $$ more, I could get one that is both functional AND beautiful!
Any thoughts?

Will the Alderlea T6 require an 8" flue? I hope not since I already installed a 6" all the way up. Or can I get by with the 6" on a larger firebox stove as long as I'm careful and don't build large fires.

I've been in my attic several times after install and during full load burns to check on things up there. I was pleasantly surprised that with a full fire blaring in the Highlander below, the chimney pipe (Class A) that I touched with my bare hand, was just slightly warmer than the attic rafters. I was also pleasantly surprised that once the fire gets going there is no black smoke being emitted from the cap, it looks like my gas furnace flue, clear wavy gas on warmer days and white smoke (steam) on very cold nights.

That's not exactly how the EBT works. It's not a regulator of the fire in that sense. At low temps it's actually closed. It opens on temperature rise to encourage stronger secondary burning. Confusing?, yes.
Here's an explanation from the chimneysweep library: (broken link removed to http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/hoebt.htm)

"When EBT technology is applied to a woodstove, neither the manufacturer nor the operator has to worry about the manual draft control being turned down too low. If a situation looms where the secondary fire might become insufficient to consume the unburned volatile gases and particles from the primary fire, the coil senses the resulting temperature change and automatically hinges the pivot plate open to supply extra oxygen for as long as it takes to consume the extra volatiles and meet EPA emissions standards. This enables the stove to be operated at a truly "low burn" setting without fear of lost heat, excessive creosote formation or smoke pollution."

And here is a thread on the topic, with a video of the EBT action at the end.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/34393/

Your mileage may vary depending on the flue and the wood. I found with softwood it's timing was off, sometimes contributing too much air at peak burn. With the EBT blocked, even with the air control closed down, the stove still has plenty of air to support robust secondary action. However, it might be ok with a pure hardwood fire. I will have to try that one of these days.