Coal stokers (any brand) and pellet stoves (any brand and wood chunk stoves (any brand) are all distinctly different arena's with different parameters and different outcomes for different situations and you can't compare across arena's.
Somehow, I don't think comparing a used 39 at 350 bucks to a Harman at say 5K retail is a valid comparison.
Like I said, get a coal stoker and be happy. I'm getting one this summer myself. Not because I have an issue with heat output from my 39-41 multifuel, but because a stoker stove is less hands on maintenance and I'm old (but still mobile) myself.
I want a hands off heater and a stoker stove is that. No fly ash to speak of, extended burn times (almost a week with a Reading stoker on low), tremendous heat output, the one I'm looking at is from 9Kbtu on low to 85Kbtu on high, about 30Kbtu more than 95% of all pellet/.multifuel stoves are capable of, less electromics to fail (big plus), fewer moving parts and motors to crap out (even bigger plus) but the seal on the deal is the price for the heat output.....around 2500 bucks new, in the crate (and an extra 300 bucks for a power vent (I don't have a tile chimney).
In essence, you could buy 2 stoker stoves for the price of one Harman and have 3 times the heat output. No brainer for me in as much as my neighbors want to buy my 39-41 and I'm all about selling it (not for 350 bucks though).
Besides, rice coal comes in bags just like pellets (but 50 pound bags instead of 40's) and unlike pellets that get wet and are no good, damp coal is no issue, in fact I heated with chunk bit coal in Ohio and I used to hose it down outside to keep the fine dust down.
Somehow, I don't think comparing a used 39 at 350 bucks to a Harman at say 5K retail is a valid comparison.
Like I said, get a coal stoker and be happy. I'm getting one this summer myself. Not because I have an issue with heat output from my 39-41 multifuel, but because a stoker stove is less hands on maintenance and I'm old (but still mobile) myself.
I want a hands off heater and a stoker stove is that. No fly ash to speak of, extended burn times (almost a week with a Reading stoker on low), tremendous heat output, the one I'm looking at is from 9Kbtu on low to 85Kbtu on high, about 30Kbtu more than 95% of all pellet/.multifuel stoves are capable of, less electromics to fail (big plus), fewer moving parts and motors to crap out (even bigger plus) but the seal on the deal is the price for the heat output.....around 2500 bucks new, in the crate (and an extra 300 bucks for a power vent (I don't have a tile chimney).
In essence, you could buy 2 stoker stoves for the price of one Harman and have 3 times the heat output. No brainer for me in as much as my neighbors want to buy my 39-41 and I'm all about selling it (not for 350 bucks though).
Besides, rice coal comes in bags just like pellets (but 50 pound bags instead of 40's) and unlike pellets that get wet and are no good, damp coal is no issue, in fact I heated with chunk bit coal in Ohio and I used to hose it down outside to keep the fine dust down.