Ugly Blaze Kings
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
I think that may be part of it, but the awesome performance is probably what gets a lot of folks. Stoves like the NC-30 are no prettier, but who really cares? It's just another stove. Now take a stove with the awesome performance of a BK, and I want it. Just wish it didn't look like the latest styling in cheap steel stoves, ca.1978.
With BK coming out with their first cast stove, let's hope they're going they're taking some cosmetic cues from Jotul or Lopi, and threads like this will be no more! In fact, their cast stove competitors should be nervous.
BTW... I agree, the Scirocco is not an awful looking stove. The King and Princess are the oddly proportioned pair. The Chinook could look good in a very contemporary setting, and reminds me of some of the newer stoves I've seen more common in Europe.
edit: I should not dis the NC-30. I might buy one for my workshop!
when comparing the "uglyness" of a NC-30 and a Blaze king you do have to remember the blaze king cost about 4 times as much, the long burn times almost drew me into a used king last year but i would rarely be running it low enough to capitalize on that, the burn times aren't nearly as magical when running it harder.
I have never seen one in person and I don't think they are attractive, but not ugly. The performance makes up for it from what I understand. Athletes don't have to be beautiful to win championships nor does the best employee always equal the best looking, so with that said....
neumsky
Minister of Fire
I don't care how well these things perform, they are god-awful to look at, If i had it in the corner of my basement where no one would every see it, I may have considered one. but the fact that I would have to look at it every day in my living room made it a no brainier to avoid these stoves like the plague. There are plenty of other decent-good looking stoves on the market that don't make me want to stab my eye-balls out.
Well Jeff I can't vote because I don't think they are all that ugly especially the new stoves. To me beauty is in the warmth it provides to the home ! We almost bought a princess that was used but it sold the day before we could go get it 
. We have a Jotul Rangeley now 
and to be honest it isn't one of the more beautiful stoves. For us it is though because we can cook on it watch a lazy beautiful fire and stay very warm with little work involved.
Pete
. We have a Jotul Rangeley now and to be honest it isn't one of the more beautiful stoves. For us it is though because we can cook on it watch a lazy beautiful fire and stay very warm with little work involved. Pete
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I spoke with someone at Blaze King this morning, who was very surprised I knew about their new cast stove (Ashford 30, 2.75 cu.ft.). They refuted the reports that it will be available this fall, stating they won't be releasing any info on this stove until their next trade show in March, 2013.
Im sure i could get Past the looks of this stove if i lived in ALASKA. Even a choosing a wife there ,you would have to base it on more than good looks.
neumsky
Minister of Fire
neumsky
Minister of Fire
neumsky
Minister of Fire
Gamma...I hope you don't think the same way about you hubby lolI am intrigued by the Bk's....would love to test drive one for a month....
I really don't care what it looks like as long as I get the performance outta it that I want....which is......
a "mean heating machine" that I do not have to babysit.... >:-(
I don't think the BK's are that ugly....
think of it this way....sometimes you go on a date with someone that you do not find that attractive at first, but, after spending some time with the person you find them way more attractive....
neumsky
Minister of Fire
This is a pretty good way to put it! :lol:
Similar to when you date really good looking people sure they look great on the outside but man do a lot of them turn out to be a pain in the butt. Kinda like the pain the butt some of these "good" looking stoves cause with their wanting to be loaded every 8 hours or less or only wanting a few pieces or they get too hot.
I'll tell you what's a pain in the butt is every 2 years you having to spend 500 dollars on a catalyst.
If you are replacing your catalyst every two years, you either don't have a Blaze King or you are doing something very wrong.
The cat for the Princess is 245, I want you to actually be informed the next time you want to talk bad about a stove you've never burned.
The cat for the Princess is 245, I want you to actually be informed the next time you want to talk bad about a stove you've never burned.
How often is that $245 spent?
neumsky
Minister of Fire
Your just mad cause you have a stove called a PRINCESS... see what I mean?The cat for the Princess is 245, I want you to actually be informed the next time you want to talk bad about a stove you've never burned.
No idea, I'll let you know when I need to spend it. If I get three seasons I'll be completely satisfied if I only got one I'd pay the bill and continue to pay it every year.(the stove performs that well) If you don't abuse them it is hour based, 12000 hours seems to be the figure Condar uses. http://www.woodstovecombustors.com/replacement.html
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Just what I stated. The woman I got on the phone initially tried to tell me I knew more about the stove than she did. I asked questions, and she had to put me on hold each time to get an answer, rather than just letting me talk with whoever was supplying her the answers. When I stated I needed to have a stove installed by October, she said it's not going to happen... they're not planning to debut that stove until their trade show in March. She stated they have no technical info, photos, or clearance spec's determined, and that only one prototype of the stove has been built so far for testing. That's not in agreement with what BKVP has already posted here, and is very disappointing to hear.
I replaced the original cat on my Jotul Firelight 12 just this year. Original owners used it for 19 years, although not all that frequently. The cat was still lighting and firing, but had been distorted to the point where it would not easily fit into the chamber. Conventional knowledge is the average cat lasts 5 - 6 years for most woodburners.
Of course, but I'm not sure what point has been proven. You don't need to see a Jotul, Lopi, or even a VC in person to see they're beautiful stoves. I've seen Rosie O'Donnel and Magdalena Wrobel only in pictures, but I can tell the difference between the two.
I replaced a Lopi after two seasons with the BK. Looks will never play into my stove selection since I want my stove to be my primary heater.(wasn't always that way I grew
) Now if I wanted a "piece of furniture" as some people say their stoves are I wouldn't own a BK. The stove has a purpose for me and that's heat with no fuss. It sure won't win any awards for it's "looks" but I didn't buy it to look at I bought it for heat. Everyone has a different want/need when it comes to heating a house and that's why so many different stoves are available. When I bought the BK I was worried I'd miss looking at the "fire", I find the fire I see on reloads before I turn the stove down is enough to satisfy me. If I wanted to torch wood as quick as the Lopi did I could leave the stove turned up but I'd rather keep the place a nice steady temp.My wife deserves all the credit for switching over to the BK. I was hung up on the "looks" at first since I thought my wife wouldn't like the stove. She told me if it will do a better job heating the house to buy it.
I also used to make jokes like everyone else does about the BK looks. I could probably dig up some posts stating if I ever had a basement stove I'd buy a BK but it would never be in my family room. I now think I was just jealous of all the "burn time" stories I had to read. Things change when you want steady heat output for hours and hours.
neumsky
Minister of Fire
I just let my wife look at this stove...and she said...that she wood let the stove have a home in our house...but she'd have to put a paper bag over it!. Here's the other ugly thing about this stove. Looking at the stoves pro video on Youtube...it states that it has to have VERY dry wood. Well I hear some of you state that you need to dry your wood for 2-3 years. That's fine and dandy for some of you who have plenty of property to store that much wood for that length of time. This is why I think alot of stove company's are not carrying the blaze king or the likes of stoves with catalytic converters. I do believe that wetter wood might be the guilty culprit along with the higher temps and incorrect operation of the system is causing these catalysts to go out prematurely. Local stores quit carrying them due to these catalysts going out or is not as efficient after a couple of years...and there saying there not 250 dollars a pop. There more in the 400 dollar range. If I can't dry my wood to a point where it can burn within a year... I can't do it.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
It sounds like you're dealing with the typical stove dealer, willing to bend the truth to suit their sale. I just had one stove dealer try to tell me the Jotul 12 is not EPA compliant, and that VC is currently in bankruptcy. Both incorrect. I just bought a new cat for my big 3.0 cu.ft. stove 8 months ago, and it was $155. The one it replaced was 19 years old, and still working well, but had been distorted by overfiring with the previous owner burning the stove with the ash door ajar (ash tray was so packed with ash it couldn't be closed!).
Furthermore, I have never seen any cat stove manufacturer recommend drying your wood 2- 3 years. Some here do it, but that may be more a case of them having a surplus of wood, or poor local drying conditions, than a typical requirement. I have seen recommendations in cat stove manuals of 9 months for softwoods and 18 months for hardwoods. These numbers vary wildly depending on species and local drying conditions.
So, who's trying to tell you cat's are $400 a pop? Name? Source? I have something I'd like to sell that guy.
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