Does anyone have any experience with the new Defiant 2-in-1? I have had a VC Encore for 15+ years and looking to step up to a bigger stove but not sure of the newer models.
Thanks
Thanks
What is more fragile on them?Ive installed several of them this year. Ive not burned one but I can tell you that they don't have the same quality as the older ones. I'm probably gonna start a fight, but I think you should be warned. They are pretty fragile inside and in the wrong hands can be damaged easily and very quickly.
Love my defiant,no problem heating my old house.
Longest burn time i got from it with very dry wood was 19 hrs in catalytic mode,
with a stove top temp at the end a little over 350.
In secondary burn mode on seasoned poplar i've gotten
8 hrs and on oak 13 hrs.
Both my wife and I have hit the fireback pretty hard while loading this stove,big chunks of
oak and hophornbeam dropped right against it and not a crack yet but it is scary
when it happens.
Takes just a minute to go from catalytic to none.
Only real problem i had found,which is due to quality control or workmanship for which I
was not to impressed by was that I had to have the gasket for the ash pan door and
the right side glass gasket changed as they where leaking right of the bat,but the dealer came by
the next day to take care of it.
I'm in southern Quebec right at the foothills of the New York Adirondack mountains and
it gets pretty cold here but on our coldest night in febuary,around 36 below,after
10 hours on a full load of black birch the stovetop was at a little over 400 and the coldest part
of the house was 67 and the family room where the stove sits was 74.
House has bare stone walls in family room and front entry,only insulation is in the roof,
but i had installed all new windows and did some serious draftproofing.
correction coldest place is the cellar but it stays about 45 all winter,so the floors are
cold at the other end of the house lol.
Ive installed several of them this year. Ive not burned one but I can tell you that they don't have the same quality as the older ones. I'm probably gonna start a fight, but I think you should be warned. They are pretty fragile inside and in the wrong hands can be damaged easily and very quickly.
The refractory fireback mostly, even though they changed it. It's a big service call generator. It could be user error, no real way for us to know. I'm sure they are still fine for a careful operator. But, if you don't want a stove that you have to be careful with, then it might not be the stove for you. And who is going to take the cat out anyway? Why would you?What is more fragile on them?
The refractory fireback mostly, even though they changed it. It's a big service call generator. It could be user error, no real way for us to know. I'm sure they are still fine for a careful operator. But, if you don't want a stove that you have to be careful with, then it might not be the stove for you. And who is going to take the cat out anyway? Why would you?
And who is going to take the cat out anyway? Why would you?
I agree with that! That's how cat stoves got a bad wrap, I think.I've spoken to a my fair share of dealers. I think VC did this so even if the owner never buys another catalyst the stove will still work properly in 'Everburn' mode. Every dealer I have spoken with has commented on how owners tend to not do the basic maintenance needed to keep a cat stove working.
I installed a Lopi Cape Cod today. This was the first one I have done, it is very nice! If you are looking for a durable hardcore 24/7 burner, this is it!Webby, thanks for an honest appraisal. That's a good point about proven quality over unproven quality with a questionable track record. I hadn't heard of the ash pan issues, thanks for pointing that out. I have not really had a whole lot of success getting many review of this stove from regular users - good/bad/indifferent, there really isn't a bunch out there about the 2N1. I hafta say that I like my 2550, it's a PIA, but I am kind of like an owner of a MG, you get used to it's idiosyncrasies and always travel with a tool box in the trunk
Flamestead - The 2N1 postings have been far and few between in this forum, either there hasn't been too many serious issues or hardcore burners have just given up on VC. My guess is that the hardcore hearth.com burners have given up on VC (quite possibly, rightfully so). The woodstock stoves just aren't big enough and don't fit the style of my home to work for me
BrowningBar - yeah, I am sure you are right on that point. VC was looking to make it sellable, usable to the general public - not a bad idea on their part since most people can't even think ahead enough to get wood stacked a year ahead of time....
You made the right choice. I own both, the Defiant and Encore (older models), and they run great for me. They Provide a lot of heat and offer very respectable burn times. But, I am also far more forgiving of them as I paid $750 for both of them, TOTAL.I joined and posted asking about the VC 2-in-1 exactly one year ago tonight. I really, really want a big VC stove. And I disliked all I was reading about their susceptibility to parts failures. I've seen surprising little VC 2-in-1 conversation here since then, and feel I know as little about that stove now as I did a year ago.
Based on feedback here, I ended up with the Woodstock Progress Hybrid, and have not regretted it in the least.
Yeah, VC burnt a lot of people with their poor decisions on customer service. You are correct on the part. It is the main reason why I went with a Englander. I know I could have found another Defiant in great condition for less than I paid for the Englander new, but I had a lot of concern about the ongoing price of parts when managing three VC stoves.It's the old Volvo vs Ferrari question. Do you want a stove that has beautiful lines, is highly tuned and capable of amazing performance but needs constant fiddling and expensive repairs, or a stolid, utilitarian tank that will bore you but not let you down. We just opted for the latter, buying an Oslo to replace an old cat VC. I would have loved it if I could have rationalized another VC, but I am not convinced the new stoves solve the problems that plagued the old ones (remember cost of cats was only a small part of the cost of running those stoves, most of them needed periodic replacement of the refractory package and even several cast iron parts).
The real tie breaker for me was the way the current ownership of VC has treated its customer base. The reason we are getting rid of the Encore was because the prices VC was charging for part were so extortionate as it just wasn't cost effective to keep running it. OK, they are giving a lifetime warranty on the most fragile parts of the new stoves, but the old owners did the same with the Everburn stoves, and the first thing the new owner did when taking over was unilaterally repudiate those warrantees.
I think the reason you see so little discussion of the 2-in-1s here is that so many serious woodburners have so little faith in the company that they won't go near the stoves.
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.