Woodstock progress vs hearthstone equinox

[Joyboy]

I think if the stove is going to be set into an alcove it would benefit from a blower. Once all my brick gets tore out and we see the full damage, I will know more about my options.

I do prefer to design it to not need a fan but we will see. Anyone have a ashford with a fan? How loud is it? The Avalon's fan is quite noisy.

 

[BuckyBeaver524]

I think if the stove is going to be set into an alcove it would benefit from a blower. Once all my brick gets tore out and we see the full damage, I will know more about my options.

I do prefer to design it to not need a fan but we will see. Anyone have a ashford with a fan? How loud is it? The Avalon's fan is quite noisy.

Also make sure you consider power outages when thinking about blower options.

 

[Joyboy]

Copy that. Very little concern with power outages here. In the ten years we have lived in this house we've had two outages. One was ten minutes and the other was about an hour. But you never know.

I do like the idea of being able to cook on the progress. I'm not sure how often I would do it though.

 

[Woody Stover]

it seems the only people I have heard say that the PH would benefit from a blower are folks who do not own or have never operated a PH. If there are any PH owners who feel the need of a blower, please speak up....I spoke with Woodstock about the blower option and was told it was not necessary and therefore not offered. And my personal experience is that it isn't. However, I will mention that I have very high ceilings in my stove room with ceiling fans running on the lowest settings. I am also in a moderate climate and usually run the stove on its lowest setting.

Right, that's all I'm saying; If someone needs a lot of heat, probably the case in Wyoming with 4000 sq.ft, begreen and I are saying that with the same stove in the same house, we've found you can pull off more heat faster with the blower. That said, all stoves are a combination of radiant and convective heat, so the differences might not be as cut-and-dried as some might think.
South East, huh? Like Georgia or something? You could probably heat your place with two candles and a fart.

I think if the stove is going to be set into an alcove it would benefit from a blower. I do prefer to design it to not need a fan but we will see. Anyone have a ashford with a fan? How loud is it? The Avalon's fan is quite noisy.

The alcove stone would absorb some radiant heat, and a small fan on the floor some distance in front of the PH might help get more air heated. I wouldn't want a radiant stove like the PH in an alcove, but since the stone is inside, not an exterior chimney like I have, the heat is going to end up inside the envelope. Looking at the EPA numbers on the Ashford, output is rated about like my little Dutchwest 2460. That ain't gonna do much damage in 4000 sq.ft. If you're going with two stoves, I might consider an Ashford as one of them. One stove only? Get something that will throw down some serious heat to make it worth the effort. JMO.

 

[Joyboy]

Right, that's all I'm saying; If someone needs a lot of heat, probably the case in Wyoming with 4000 sq.ft, begreen and I are saying that with the same stove in the same house, we've found you can pull off more heat faster with the blower. That said, all stoves are a combination of radiant and convective heat, so the differences might not be as cut-and-dried as some might think.
South East, huh? Like Georgia or something? You could probably heat your place with two candles and a fart.
The alcove stone would absorb some radiant heat, and a small fan on the floor some distance in front of the PH might help get more air heated. I wouldn't want a radiant stove like the PH in an alcove, but since the stone is inside, not an exterior chimney like I have, the heat is going to end up inside the envelope. Looking at the EPA numbers on the Ashford, output is rated about like my little Dutchwest 2460. That ain't gonna do much damage in 4000 sq.ft. If you're going with two stoves, I might consider an Ashford as one of them. One stove only? Get something that will throw down some serious heat to make it worth the effort. JMO.

What stove are you referring to that will throw some serious heat.

 

[BuckyBeaver524]

South East, huh? Like Georgia or something? You could probably heat your place with two candles and a fart.

Yes indeed - a lot of farting goes on down here.

 

[Woody Stover]

What stove are you referring to that will throw some serious heat.

Well, there are a lot of big stoves out there. But as you are finding, the question of actual output is about as clear as mud. You seem to be leaning toward a more attractive stove. There are a lot of plate-steel stoves, and some look pretty nice. In 8" flues, which are the biggest stoves with the most output, there are the Kuma Sequoia (great non-blower convection) and Buck 91 (blower not real quiet above low) that begreen mentioned. They are both cats, as is the Regency 5100 (hybrid)...not sure how long it's been out, or how reliable it is. Looks like a heat bomb, though. But a 6" flue will give you many more stoves to pick from, over 95% of stoves made, and there are serious heaters in this group as well. Lopi Liberty (quiet blower,) Quadra-Fire, PE and so on. Looking again at your floor plan, I don't think you have to go for the highest output stove at the expense of the other things you want, because I don't see much heat getting to the bedrooms anyway...may just need to resign those to little space heaters or something, especially the BR with 2 outside walls.

I myself like the cast iron stove looks. Any recommendations on a big cast iron that is pretty efficient?

The Hearthstone Manchester is a real looker in Brown enamel. Respectable heater been durable so far.

The Manchester is a good looking stove!

Seems like you have already decided! I've been partial to this stove since I saw it in brown enamel at a shop here...she's a beauty! I also liked the convection fins on top of the fire box...looked like that design would convect like crazy. I think it would toss a ton of heat, and EPA numbers point that way as well. It has a grated ash system but I don't know how good it is. It might not be quite as stingy with wood as some of the cat stoves.
Me, I'm a Woodstock guy after running the straight cats. I'm assuming the hybrids incorporate the same high quality and smart engineering. Grated ash handling, which I pretty much can't do without.
I've been reading this forum for years, and I would still have a hard time deciding. That's just the way it is; We don't all have a chance to try a lot of stoves or see 'em in action, so we end up taking a leap of faith to some degree.

 

[OhioBurner©]

You seem to be leaning toward a more attractive stove.

Yeah and going back to the Progress, I think it's a great looking stove. I've not run one myself but when I was debating on it I did talk to many that had it and some that had both the Progress and the Ideal. It seems the Progress could really crank out a lot more heat if you needed it... don't let it's smaller box fool you nor the soapstone since many think stone stoves can only be run gently. It'll throw a lot of heat out the front of the stove - and fairly quick too. The smaller box doesn't necessarily dictate how much heat it can throw out - just how much fuel it can hold which means if you need to have it cranked it won't get as long of a burn time, but we're only talking maybe a split of wood here or so. It's also got one of the best ash handling in the industry, a grate over the entire stove floor and a huge ash pan.

 

[Smoked]

I would not hesitate to buy either the PH or the Eq. From what I have seen on this site most of the Hearthstone durability issues center around the small hinge pins and latch material on the smaller tribute and heritage. If an insulated 8" liner does not fit in your chimney, that may help make your decision. I would have bought a PH if there was any way I thought I could make it work because I really would like to try a cat stove out although the hybrid does not seem to get the really long burns.

I have a little different opinion on the firebox size though. To me, you are going to get x BTUs out of y volume of wood. If the efficiency of the stoves are similar, then a 4ft box stove is going to out produce a 3ft box. From their stated inefficiencies, they are similar so I have to think the Eq is going to out heat the PH. On the other hand, if you are environmentally aware, the PH is a cleaner running stove.

With no experience with either of these, and with softwoods, I would expect you are more likely to get the longer burn time out of a big cat stove than a tube stove though. Just keep in mind if you are stretching the burn time, you are not getting max BTUs.

Good luck!

 

[webby3650]

I would not hesitate to buy either the PH or the Eq. From what I have seen on this site most of the Hearthstone durability issues center around the small hinge pins and latch material on the smaller tribute and heritage. If an insulated 8" liner does not fit in your chimney, that may help make your decision. I would have bought a PH if there was any way I thought I could make it work because I really would like to try a cat stove out although the hybrid does not seem to get the really long burns.

I have a little different opinion on the firebox size though. To me, you are going to get x BTUs out of y volume of wood. If the efficiency of the stoves are similar, then a 4ft box stove is going to out produce a 3ft box. From their stated inefficiencies, they are similar so I have to think the Eq is going to out heat the PH. On the other hand, if you are environmentally aware, the PH is a cleaner running stove.

With no experience with either of these, and with softwoods, I would expect you are more likely to get the longer burn time out of a big cat stove than a tube stove though. Just keep in mind if you are stretching the burn time, you are not getting max BTUs.

Good luck!

Personally I've not seen durability issues with hinge pins or latches. It's been cracked stones and Castings.

I rarely ever service a Hearthstone stove that doesn't have a cracked stone somewhere on the stove. Last year we had to replace an Equinox under warranty because the iron frame cracked.. I know crap happens, but I've seen way too many cracked stoves to get me to push one. Not to mention trying to heat with one for a while...

 

[Smoked]

Personally I've not seen durability issues with hinge pins or latches. It's been cracked stones and Castings.

I rarely ever service a Hearthstone stove that doesn't have a cracked stone somewhere on the stove. Last year we had to replace an Equinox under warranty because the iron frame cracked.. I know crap happens, but I've seen way too many cracked stoves to get me to push one. Not to mention trying to heat with one for a while...

You obviously have a different perspective from real experience with the wood burning public and that should be considered. I am curious, hot the %^& do you crack the frame on one of these? The corners do not get that hot at all?

Anyway, I now am on year 12 on my 05 Heritage and I do have one inconsequential crack on one stone that I have a feeling happened because I flirted with old gaskets for too long but who knows. I typically was very careful to run the stove in the recommended range but with warn gaskets, it got hard to hold a big load back. A damper helps too.

 

[JA600L]

I would not hesitate to buy either the PH or the Eq. From what I have seen on this site most of the Hearthstone durability issues center around the small hinge pins and latch material on the smaller tribute and heritage. If an insulated 8" liner does not fit in your chimney, that may help make your decision. I would have bought a PH if there was any way I thought I could make it work because I really would like to try a cat stove out although the hybrid does not seem to get the really long burns.

I have a little different opinion on the firebox size though. To me, you are going to get x BTUs out of y volume of wood. If the efficiency of the stoves are similar, then a 4ft box stove is going to out produce a 3ft box. From their stated inefficiencies, they are similar so I have to think the Eq is going to out heat the PH. On the other hand, if you are environmentally aware, the PH is a cleaner running stove.

With no experience with either of these, and with softwoods, I would expect you are more likely to get the longer burn time out of a big cat stove than a tube stove though. Just keep in mind if you are stretching the burn time, you are not getting max BTUs.

Good luck!

The hybrid runs very similar to a cat stove on the low end. The great thing about a hybrid is that during a medium to high burn it basically becomes a secondary stove but everything runs through the cat. So any missed gasses are consumed by the cat. It really works well. Burn times are very similar to cat only stoves. The Blaze Kings go a lot longer because a thermostat evens out the burn. Stoves of similar efficiency create the same amount of heat but deliver it a little different.

 

[Joyboy]

I would not hesitate to buy either the PH or the Eq. From what I have seen on this site most of the Hearthstone durability issues center around the small hinge pins and latch material on the smaller tribute and heritage. If an insulated 8" liner does not fit in your chimney, that may help make your decision. I would have bought a PH if there was any way I thought I could make it work because I really would like to try a cat stove out although the hybrid does not seem to get the really long burns.

I have a little different opinion on the firebox size though. To me, you are going to get x BTUs out of y volume of wood. If the efficiency of the stoves are similar, then a 4ft box stove is going to out produce a 3ft box. From their stated inefficiencies, they are similar so I have to think the Eq is going to out heat the PH. On the other hand, if you are environmentally aware, the PH is a cleaner running stove.

With no experience with either of these, and with softwoods, I would expect you are more likely to get the longer burn time out of a big cat stove than a tube stove though. Just keep in mind if you are stretching the burn time, you are not getting max BTUs.

Good luck!

That's what I thought about the firebox size vs total heat output. The chart of the EPA numbers on the Woodstock website show that the Mansfield at 3' and even the fireview with a 2' box puts out more btu's than the equinox.

I might buy that the progress has better efficiencies and might could put out more heat at a given time but they rate the hearthstone Mansfield significantly higher for btu's as well and they have the same burn technology.

Doesn't make sense to me. Makes me question the whole chart.

 

[Smoked]

I have not looked at this list for a few years and it is good to see more stoves listed in the "actual measured" column. No surprise to me the cats average 10% more efficient than non cats so do we throw away independent claims of 80% efficiency of non cats? If you think you have to worry about local restrictions one day, the super low emissions of some of the hybrids and BKs are impressive!

Btu/hour is a different beast it seems, IDK. Are those claims because you can rage through 3cu/ft in 3 hour or you can stretch it to 12? Cast stoves can be run hotter safely? That PH at 73,200 is way beyond anything else so it does make you wonder where that came from. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2013-08/documents/certifiedwood.pdf

 

[Woody Stover]

chart of the EPA numbers on the Woodstock website show that the Mansfield at 3' and even the fireview with a 2' box puts out more btu's than the equinox...Doesn't make sense to me. Makes me question the whole chart.

Yep, you'll find some head-scratchers on that chart. Makes it tough to get an objective comparison....even users' testimonies for the same stove have to take into account different setups, layouts, climates and operating styles. For me the numbers have rung pretty true; In the same house and setup, the Fireview put out more than the Keystone, which put out more than the Dutchwest. But I have heard a couple people say they were underwhelmed by the Eq output. Looking at it, you'd think it was a flame-thrower, but apparently not so much.

 

[webby3650]

Yep, you'll find some head-scratchers on that chart. Makes it tough to get an objective comparison....even users' testimonies for the same stove have to take into account different setups, layouts, climates and operating styles. For me the numbers have rung pretty true; In the same house and setup, the Fireview put out more than the Keystone, which put out more than the Dutchwest. But I have heard a couple people say they were underwhelmed by the Eq output. Looking at it, you'd think it was a flame-thrower, but apparently not so much.

I've never heard any impressive feedback from an equinox owner, some reviews are ok. It better be more than ok for that kinda weight and price! My Mansfield was very unimpressive, my little buck 21 outperformed it!

 

[Woody Stover]

That PH at 73,200 is way beyond anything else so it does make you wonder where that came from.

I can say that a stone stove can put out some heat when you've got 'er cranked up. Mine were/are straight cats, but I bet when you have secondaries and cat going, with the routing, fins and what-not, that rock is doing some serious radiating.

 

[Highbeam]

I can say that a stone stove can put out some heat when you've got 'er cranked up. Mine were/are straight cats, but I bet when you have secondaries and cat going, with the routing, fins and what-not, that rock is doing some serious radiating.
View attachment 193556

I've always wondered about those radiator fins. they look internal and seem to just transfer cat heat to the exhaust. Not radiator fins to transfer stove heat to the room air. Am I missing something?

 

[Highbeam]

That's what I thought about the firebox size vs total heat output. The chart of the EPA numbers on the Woodstock website show that the Mansfield at 3' and even the fireview with a 2' box puts out more btu's than the equinox.

I might buy that the progress has better efficiencies and might could put out more heat at a given time but they rate the hearthstone Mansfield significantly higher for btu's as well and they have the same burn technology.

Doesn't make sense to me. Makes me question the whole chart.

I too question the chart. The "errors" are heavily in Woodstock's favor. 2.8 c.f. ph at 73000 or my 3.5 c.f. plate steel powerhouse nc30 at a max of 28000? I call bs on the validity of the btu column entirely. I do not believe Woodstock lied or cheated but I do expect the numbers in that column will be fixed someday to match reality. Maybe the other brands will discover the trick or loophole. So you must consider firebox size only and the Woodstock stoves are small.

The Mansfield is a hearthstone stove.

 

[Woody Stover]

I've always wondered about those radiator fins.

I don't really know but my guess is they capture post-cat heat that would go up the flue and use it to heat intake air for more complete combustion?

I do not believe Woodstock lied or cheated

What? How is any mfr. gonna cheat when testing is done by an independent EPA-accredited lab?

maybe the other brands will discover the trick or loophole

WS engineers are too smart; No chance those at lesser companies will ever figure it out.

you must consider firebox size only.

Fire box size only determines how many total BTUs can be loaded, not how many BTUs/hr. can be released. That is determined by stove design.

 

[bfitz3]

I myself like the cast iron stove looks. Any recommendations on a big cast iron that is pretty efficient?

Yes. You're wife likes the soapstone. Listen to her. She's on to something!

The PH is a fine looking stove that works wonderfully. They look decent in people's pictures, in my opinion, but much much nicer in person. Also, if you don't like it, they have an unconditional 1-season return for refund policy. If you are unsure, build your hearth to fit the PH and your other top choice then give the PH a try. You'll end up loving and keeping it.

When we chose our stove, I wanted the PH for a balance of performance, customer service, and appearance. My better half wanted cast iron. With the return policy, I convinced her we should try it. When it was installed, she said it was much prettier than she thought - she is the sole member of the pretty committee, so that was big. Once winter hit and she felt the warmth, she was sold. We haven't looked back!

I have no knowledge of the hearthstone so I can't compare, but I can't say anything negative about the PH. It's a fine stove.

 

[Joyboy]

Yes. You're wife likes the soapstone. Listen to her. She's on to something!

The PH is a fine looking stove that works wonderfully. They look decent in people's pictures, in my opinion, but much much nicer in person. Also, if you don't like it, they have an unconditional 1-season return for refund policy. If you are unsure, build your hearth to fit the PH and your other top choice then give the PH a try. You'll end up loving and keeping it.

When we chose our stove, I wanted the PH for a balance of performance, customer service, and appearance. My better half wanted cast iron. With the return policy, I convinced her we should try it. When it was installed, she said it was much prettier than she thought - she is the sole member of the pretty committee, so that was big. Once winter hit and she felt the warmth, she was sold. We haven't looked back!

I have no knowledge of the hearthstone so I can't compare, but I can't say anything negative about the PH. It's a fine stove.

Don't get me wrong, the progress is leading the pack in the race right now. But I'm still going to look at everything. I'm the kind of guy that likes to turn levers, open doors and see the level of craftsmanship of something before I buy.

This would be the largest thing I've ever purchased without laying eyes on it personally. Which bothers me. Lol.

The 6 month warranty with free return shipping does help with that some but it's not completely risk free. I assume I would still be on the hook for the $712 original shipping.

 

[webby3650]

I don't really know but my guess is they capture post-cat heat that would go up the flue and use it to heat intake air for more complete combustion?
What? How is any mfr. gonna cheat when testing is done by an independent EPA-accredited lab?
WS engineers are too smart; No chance those at lesser companies will ever figure it out.
Fire box size only determines how many total BTUs can be loaded, not how many BTUs/hr. can be released. That is determined by stove design.

Yes, and soapstone is not the ideal delivery method if you are looking for maximum about of heat being delivered to the room..

 

[webby3650]

Don't get me wrong I'm sure they are really nice heaters. Soapstone is hindered when it comes to throwing big heat compared to a steel stove. Yes it has "heat life" I know. But I just don't see how it could ever claim to have higher btus than say the NC30?

 

[JA600L]

Don't get me wrong, the progress is leading the pack in the race right now. But I'm still going to look at everything. I'm the kind of guy that likes to turn levers, open doors and see the level of craftsmanship of something before I buy.

This would be the largest thing I've ever purchased without laying eyes on it personally. Which bothers me. Lol.

The 6 month warranty with free return shipping does help with that some but it's not completely risk free. I assume I would still be on the hook for the $712 original shipping.

I was the same way with my Ideal Steel. I'm a mechanic and I have an eye for detail. I took the risk and bought it. I will join the others and say that when you open that crate there's no turning back. The quality is there for sure and it makes you feel dumb for being nervous. I've never seen a Progress Hybrid in person, but as soon as I do I'm going to want one.