gotta be honest to begin with, i'm not getting another one for at least a few years. anyway, for a future purchase, i would appreciate some suggestions... i like getting my research started early, plus my wife loves window shopping. it will be hearth mount, as my wife is deathly afraid of freestanding stoves since she was told that she got burned on one when she was 2 years old. she even put the fireplace screen in front of our current hearth stove (buck 74) the first winter we had it, lol. the fireplace dimensions are 38" x 29.5" so the lintel was/is a major limiting factor. requirements/preferences: front loading not too ornate short, considering the lintel 2.5ish cu ft fire box can take longer splits catalytic - if i'm going to upgrade, it's going to be for noticeable performance, and longer burn times wouldn't be bad. i don't have any issues with my buck 74, in fact i just gave it a favorable review... grass is always greener, blah blah. my wife likes the look of the soapstone stoves, but i believe woodstock is out of the question, since i wouldn't be able to use a side or top loader with the placement, and the only other soapstones i know of are hearthstone. any stove suggestions are welcome though, not just soapstone... i just threw that out there because i don't know of others. ash pan isn't necessary, if a stove has a freestanding, or insert option, i can just go without legs or pedestal like i've done with my buck. as far as options go, i seem to have the issue of not knowing what i don't know. i find a lot of the popular options, and with my preferences, a lot of them have to hit the trail. we'll go ahead and say price isn't an issue since this is just a fantasy build for now, and i may hit it big in the meantime. i joined close to the beginning of the forum, but i'm still new as far as participation... i'm working on that... so if this type of thread is against forum etiquette, sorry. anyway, thanks for any suggestions.
I'll limit my comment to just that idea of no top or side loading. You mentioned Woodstock but you did not mention the Ideal Steel, which is front loading like you want. Wes, it does not matter if you haven't posted or participated much. You are still a member in good standing. Many do like you are doing.
We have a few nice reviews in the "wood stove review" section. They are probably worth a read if you get a chance. Good luck with the research and eventual purchase! Edit: obviously you've checked these bad-boys out since you posted a very nice review of your Buck. Keep us updated...
How big is your hearth? My fireplace is the same size as yours (an inch wider but same height) and the Progress Hybrid soapstone fits on mine. My hearth is about 19 inches and I just have to recess it about 5 inches and the side door still has plenty of room.
my hearth is 17 inches. my buck probably only sits about 5" out onto the hearth (12" tall for reference) so i could run the liner straight up with it. seems like the progress hybrid has the option for rear exit?
Yes, all the Woodstocks have that option. I think you could fit a PH in and still be able to open the door, I thought mine would be tight but I have plenty of room. If you consider their Ideal Steel you would have to build out the heart a few inches since its too tall to slide under the lintel. I was going to do that with mine but my wife nixed that idea, I think the PH is better for my house anyway so I didn't put up too much of an argument.
it's a 2012. i love the stove, and gave it a good review on here, the only thing i really dinged it for was the advertised 2.6 cu ft firebox actually being 2.23. i just wanted to do a fantasy build for the future whenver i do go with a cat stove.
