Thinking of buying a new wood stove for next winter

[Whitespider]

I was recently lookin' at the Blaze King stoves as a possible replacement for the shop heater. I really liked the long heating times I was reading about... fill that thing to the gills with oak and let-'er-rip for 8 hours (Blaze King even says it's better to fill it than load it half full). That sounded perfect for the shop... light it and walk away for a couple or three hours to warm the place up, then come back an turn it down while working in there.

But then, after a little more research, a couple things bothered me... that may not concern you, or even apply to you.
First was the fact that you need to let the fire burn out/stove cool down before removing ashes (no ash drawer). That ain't a deal breaker for the shop, it don't run 24/7 like the box heating the house. Another thing was all the moving parts (like bypass damper) and the thermostatically controlled burn rate and active cat indicator... not sure I could trust it after sittin' in a cool damp shop all spring, then a hot humid shop all summer, and then an ice box during winter (maybe it would be fine - shrug). The last and most worrisome thing (for me) was the maintenance and eventual replacement of the cat, both of which also require a cold stove. Removal for cleaning requires a new gasket, and I know darn well I'll get caught without one when I needed it most. Cat replacement is like $300.00 aftermarket/on-line discount type, no idea how much from a dealer... and I was flat afraid what it would cost in 3-5 years. (Who knows?? Might be $30.00.) Actually, I know what would happen, I likely wouldn't clean as often as I should, which would cause it to fail sooner, my cheap-azz would give it toss and run without it... so why pay for it in the first place??

I found two Blaze King stoves on craigslist, both were described as "needs new cat" ... I decided to look for something else.
I still ain't decided what that "something else" will be yet.... I'm dazed and confused.
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[Cerran]

Actually WS you don't have to let the stove cool down to remove ash, you just do it at the next loading. It's not like you have to get the firebox 100% clear, just shovel some of the ash out , reload the stove and go.

 

[Whitespider]

Actually WS you don't have to let the stove cool down to remove ash...

Yeah, I know... I did that when the "stovace" was in the house.
But like I said, that ain't a deal breaker for the shop. It normally just runs on weekends and maybe one, rarely two nights during the week... I could scoop it out before the weekend start-up on Friday night or Saturday morning.
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[wireedm]

Second year on our Blaze King Princess......still impresses us every day. Usually get 25-28hr burns from a load of oak that heats the house throughout the full duration when the temp outside is 25 degrees or above. When I turn the thermostat up during single-digit temps, the burn time goes down to 15-18hrs.

For the longer duration, it's the smoke keeping the catalytic combustor glowing which puts out tons of heat, while the wood is just smoldering. Very impressive to behold.

The stove is of the highest quality I've seen in a stove. For instance, the door hinges fit with about a .0003"-.0005" clearance. (I own a precision machine shop, so I'm familiar with fits.) I did my due-diligence researching for the wood stove the I thought would work best for us. I wouldn't even look at a different brand if I were to look again.

 

[Idahonative]

Second year on our Blaze King Princess......still impresses us every day. Usually get 25-28hr burns from a load of oak that heats the house throughout the full duration when the temp outside is 25 degrees or above. When I turn the thermostat up during single-digit temps, the burn time goes down to 15-18hrs.

For the longer duration, it's the smoke keeping the catalytic combustor glowing which puts out tons of heat, while the wood is just smoldering. Very impressive to behold.

The stove is of the highest quality I've seen in a stove. For instance, the door hinges fit with about a .0003"-.0005" clearance. (I own a precision machine shop, so I'm familiar with fits.) I did my due-diligence researching for the wood stove the I thought would work best for us. I wouldn't even look at a different brand if I were to look again.

Well said and good point on the tight tolerances. But if you think the Princess is impressive, it would be fun to see your reaction using the King. Especially heating 2500 sf like you are doing.

I think most BK owners would agree with you. Once you've owned and operated one, there really is no need to look at any other brand.

 

[Gavman]

Well said and good point on the tight tolerances. But if you think the Princess is impressive, it would be fun to see your reaction using the King. Especially heating 2500 sf like you are doing.

I think most BK owners would agree with you. Once you've owned and operated one, there really is no need to look at another brand.

In some ways im sorry I didn't get the king stove but only for the bigger firebox, right now we are tending the stove twice a day, early in the morning around 5 am as I leave for work then and in the evening around 8 pm to load it for the night...
I think the way we burn with the king it could easily be once a day attention to the stove

 

[blades]

You can write off the ash pan idea, most of the stove ash pans are a joke or such a pia to use that they are not.

 

[Tjcole50]

Nc30 3.5 cu ft cheap work horse. Full load and hot coals left at 10 hrs later. Holds my 1700 sq ft A-frame at 70-72 degrees down to zero. Only time it has trouble is below zero high winds. But that's also my insulation and 21 ft tall ceiling working against it

 

[timbrjackrussel]

Seen these stoves at a Home Hardware store
http://www.jaroby.com/en/produits/1/

 

[Blowncrewcab]

Is a Buck Stove Model 91 even worth considering? it has a 4.0 cf firebox. I have a Buck model 27,000 now ( 27,000 btu I presume) heating about 1500sf "A" Frame with 13' ceilings. Burn times I get are about 3-5 Hrs Looking to upgrade

 

[Marine5068]

+1 Blaze King. Burn times measured in days, not hours. Built to last a lifetime.

I dont know of any other stove on the market that consistantly heats for 24 hrs while burning pine. That is the REAL test for a woodstove. Now if you are talking hardwood, you are looking at 30-40 hours depending on your home. Again, no other stove can match that performance.

Catalytic stoves burn longer because they use a burning catalyst that eventually burns away and has to be replaced. He did say that he wants a low maintenance stove, so Blaze King would be out. It's converter is a very expensive part that has to be replaced every couple or few years.

 

[Marine5068]

Seen these stoves at a Home Hardware store
http://www.jaroby.com/en/produits/1/

I was looking at 'The Ultimate' by J.A.Roby, but I didn't hear any good things about it. I didn't hear any reviews at all really, so not sure if it lives up to it's specs.

 

[Marine5068]

Yea its going to come down to a 2 or 3 stove choice I think. Like I said I need to physically go touch some of the new stuff. I would not mind $100.00 every 3-5 years for "up keep" but that is about my tight azz limit ha ha.

Some other great stovemakers are Napoleon, Pacific Energy, Osburn, Drolet, Harman and Enviro.
My top three largest stoves would be Pacific Energy's Summit; Drolet's HT2000 and Napoleon's S9 (pricey).

 

[Wisneaky]

Catalytic stoves burn longer because they use a burning catalyst that eventually burns away and has to be replaced. He did say that he wants a low maintenance stove, so Blaze King would be out. It's converter is a very expensive part that has to be replaced every couple or few years.

It's still low maintenance. You clean it and change the converter when its wore out. I don't know how much more low maintenance you can go unless you hire someone to cut the wood and fill it for you.

 

[woodgrenade]

My vote is for Quadrafire. My stove is the 3100 (their most popular). It gets used every day from late October through the beginning of April. All it has needed over the past 8 years is some firebricks, 2 door gaskets, and 2 kaowool blankets. No cracks, no busted welds, no warping, nothing other than routine maintenance.

 

[Marine5068]

I do like the burn times and efficiency of the Blaze King King Ultra.
How much are they?

 

[Idahonative]

Catalytic stoves burn longer because they use a burning catalyst that eventually burns away and has to be replaced. He did say that he wants a low maintenance stove, so Blaze King would be out. It's converter is a very expensive part that has to be replaced every couple or few years.

Sorry but I got to call you out on this one. Blaze King cats don't need replaced every two years. They come with a TEN YEAR WARRANTY from the factory. And the cat is a very reasonably priced item when you average it out over it's lifespan. The factory Condor replacement for our stove is $281 and will more than pay for itself in the wood it saves.
http://www.woodstovecombustors.com/blazeking.html

I won't speak for all Blaze Kings models, but our King Ultra is about as low maintenance as it gets. Load it with wood once per day and brush off the cat once per season. You might want to have some real world experience with a Blaze King before you start posting false information on this site.

 

[ETpilot]

I've been thinking of upgrading my stove. My only experience with firewood stoves is the one I have that was installed in the house. Prior to this house I lived in South Florida, no need for a stove there. My stove is a soapstone stove. I do like the stove, it is beautiful, and it does a good job of heating the house. The bad features are, a bit small, small fire box, small ash pan, and small doors for adding firewood. The worse feature is that it has a T handle for opening the door. A real pain to use.

The last time I looked at new stoves in my area, it was mostly soapstones on display. They must be popular in my area. After reading all about stoves here on this forum, I am going to look at new stoves again. May get a new one for next winter.

 

[Jeff Lary]

I guess i have made a choice if i buy. I will be getting the Blaze King Princess . It will fit well in the spot now occupied by my Old Mill. I will get the pedistal and blower too.
I spoke at length to the owner of the shop i may buy from. He is very popuar here in the area, i guess he owns several shops in Maine. I specificly quized him about the Cat in the B.K. He told me that the main killers are burning Trash, Colored Newsprint / magazines somthing in the ink i guess? and burning wet wood.

This got my attention some as some of my wood always seems to " steam some at the cut ends" . I told him that and he asked how old my wood is that i am burning right now. I told him the truth as there is no sence to make up stories as it would only serve to screw me in the end.
I cut my next seasons fire wood the winter before. Like right now my next years/ winters wood is all put up tree tength in one of my back fields. I told him that as soon as spring gets here i would cut it to length and split it into quarters at least. Then either haul it home or stack it in the field to sit for the summer to come.
He looked at me and said " yea you should be all set,.. I am the kind of guy that cuts wood today and burns it tomorrow ! " Then he laughed and said no really though you should be fine.

 

[Marine5068]

Sorry but I got to call you out on this one. Blaze King cats don't need replaced every two years. They come with a TEN YEAR WARRANTY from the factory. And the cat is a very reasonably priced item when you average it out over it's lifespan. The factory Condor replacement for our stove is $281 and will more than pay for itself in the wood it saves.
http://www.woodstovecombustors.com/blazeking.html

I won't speak for all Blaze Kings models, but our King Ultra is about as low maintenance as it gets. Load it with wood once per day and brush off the cat once per season. You might want to have some real world experience with a Blaze King before you start posting false information on this site.

Don't take a personal offence to comments stated by myself as I was just reading the information from their site that states that it's a three year combustor warranty and another three years at a pro-rated rate.
So six years in total but only three real years at 100%.
But there is an extended, 10 year, inspection-based warranty on combustors after 2012. Only problem is that if you need to remove it if it failed, then you need to have a new one to put in until you get the warranty-inspected refund or your old one returned to you without a refund. Either way you're buying a new one.