New Guy with a stupid question

[wcook]

Hello,

I am in the market for a pellet stove and I am not sure which way to go. I saw an Englander 25-PVDC at Home Depot for $1399. It seemed like a good stove. All of my friends already have pellet stoves and they are telling me I need to get a Lopi or Austroflamm (Sp?). Both of these pellet stoves cost twice as much or more. Are they really that much better? I am only trying to heat about 1,200 square feet. I live in the Pacific NW if that makes a difference. I don't want to waste my money if all I am buying is a name. I have no problem paying for quality, but 2x the price? What am I going to get for the extra $$$ ? I don't care if the stove has gold trim, etc. Any insight as to the pros and cons for either stove would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Wayne

 

[myzamboni]

Welcome to the Hearth Wayne. There are a couple of Englander folks and fellow pelletheads that will be along to give you a hand.

 

[wg_bent]

I have a friend with an Englander, and he loves it. The big difference is in automation. The Englander is a good stove, but i needs to be started with gel starter. The more expensive stoves will self start, and have more automatic features like thermostatic control.

Better? probably not. I know people with cheap hondas that never had a problem, People with expensive BMW's Lots of problems.

Better?

 

[titan]

How true,fancy extras are nice....when they're working!K.I.S.S!

 

[webbie]

Sometimes I look at those $1400 pellet stoves and wonder "Is everyone else overcharging, or is Englander undercharging?" - I suspect it is a little of both. You also pay for style, brass or gold doors....and, yes, dealer markup. The local dealer must make a profit in order to keep answering your questions and phone calls. Some stove companies have dealers AND distributors - this means two markups on the way to you. A good comparison is the computer business. Way back when, an apple dealer made 30% on a sale, then 20%, then 12%, then 10% and now Apple makes all the profit! But that makes computers cost less for more power....

Mass production also is part of it - for $1400, you could buy a dishwasher, a range, a washer and a dryer - all quite complex appliances INCLUDING dealer markup. Englander seems to have production down pretty well - I have visited the Travis (avalon) plant and they make so many various models that it is almost "custom" manufacturing.

No doubt Avalon is a good Pellet stove - but Austroflamm (good product) has come and gone into the US a couple times....so I might steer away from that one. As usual, there are products at various price levels and you have to choose your budget. When I have advertisers inquire about Hearth.com, I always say I can work with ANY budget! Another way of saying it (in the car biz) "An ass for every seat". A car dealer rarely has a car that they cannot sell!

I don't think the folks at Avalon would claim anything other than that they are a "premium quality" brand. They are not trying to capture the "heat per dollar" market as much as Englander or US Stove, etc..

 

[wcook]

Thank you for the input. I guess it is safe to say that the Englander will serve my needs. I just really want a dependable pellet stove and it sounds like this is it. If anyone else has any information, please keep posting.

Thanks,
Wayne

 

[stoveguy2esw]

only thing i need comment about , the englander 25-pdvc is not a manual light unit as of 2004. they come equipped with auto ignition standard.

web is right also, we are in the "btu for the buck" market. but this isnt a "cheapo" unit we dont build cheapo's. the 25-pdvc series unit has been the most successful model unit we have produced during my 15 year tenure at ESW(over 60,000 produced since 1998). its been a great unit. i actually have one installed in my home as i type this, installed it in dec of 2004 and it hasnt missed a lick since. EPA certified, it can go anywhere, green state or not, mobile home certified as well.

if you wish to learn more about the unit , pm me or contact me at the office , i'd be happy to answer any questions. phone is 800-245-6489 , website is www.englanderstoves.com