Walking the line b/w Absolute & Ideal Steel

Newbie on this forum, have narrowed my stove hunt down to these two. I haven't found a photo with the AS & IS next to each other, which could help break the stalemate.

From what I've gathered here, another forum, and the Woodstock website, my "needs" fall right in between. What do you think?: when build is complete (Feb 2020), house will be one level, 2100 sq. ft. with 9 foot ceilings, insulated to R50+ in roof, approx R25 in walls, vaulted ceiling with two fans over 220 sq. ft. living room, stove will be against a wall on one end of said living room, close to center of house. A lot of south facing windows with U- factor 27, SHGC in the 40s, close to the stove. A few north and west windows, and a sliding glass door with slightly lower U factors and lower SHGCs. This will not be the primary heat source until the power goes out (electric boiler heating in-floor radiant).

So does it just come down to looks, side v. front load, firebox size? What other differences should I consider? Has anybody had each of these for at least a full winter? BTW, my previous stove was a VC Intrepid II, which got me through a frigid Colorado winter in a 20 ft. tipi. I liked having the top load and double-door front load options on that. Thanks in advance.

 

I should clarify that the stove will become primary and the infloor radiant will become secondary heat after I build a seasoned wood pile.

 

I got IS but live close to Woodstock factory, I would go IS over AS a lot of cubic feet to heat. The Ideal Steel runs great low & slow.
Welcome to the FHC

 

They are both big stoves, but the IS is quite large. Something to keep in mind depending on where it's going.

 

Never used either one, but I would round up rather than down, all else equal.

 

Agree with rounding up! First off, Welcome. Grab a beverage and pull up a stump. When you do get closer to finished, we love pics. What type of hearth are you planning on? Lots of great options and I’d don’t think you can go wrong with either option. I’m hoping to get one someday to replace my old earth stove.
Happy hoarding!


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Welcome to the club Pants on fire! Time to bring on the

 

You are well into IS territory. Neither of these stoves is particularly large. The IS is just 3.2 cubic feet according to Woodstock who has a reputation of exaggerating the firebox size. The nc30 mentioned earlier is 3.5cf.

also, and this is just subjective, I really don’t like the looks of the AS with those wings. The IS is not universally considered attractive either but it is a bit more normal.

 

I’ve never been around a AS but we have a IS and a Fireview. We enjoy everything about the IS from the low and slow to cranking it up when it’s zero out. Our home is always warm (1900 sq ft) have you looked at the progress? It resembles the fireview and I enjoy looking at it even when the fire isn’t burning.

 

Progress Hybrid. I have a Fireview now after burning in an insert for 9 years. I love Woodstock's soapstone look and how it evens out the heat. Only negative is the firebox size is 2.8 vs the 3.2 of the IS but both are rated for 2200 sqft of heating vs the 1800sq of the AS. Burn times are similar between the PH and IS according to WS's website.

BTU output is also higher with the Progress.

 

Welcome aboard Pants on fire


We went for the IS and it heats our house great. I agree with the others, if you're between one and the other, go for the one that'll put out more heat when you need it.

Better to damper the stove back than have one that's running wide open and just not getting the job done.

One thing to consider is that some are seeing a crack form near the top door hinge, I'm sure WS is already making changes to prevent it on new models, but I think it is worth mentioning.

WS stands behind their stoves and is making it right by those affected.

Production Woodstock IS

 

Progress Hybrid gets my vote also, but mostly because I prefer the look over steel. Between the two you mentioned I would go IS with your square footage and stove location. You can always turn it down but you can only open it up so far. I’d be afraid the AS might not do on a really cold night.

 

Thanks for your input, everybody. I re-looked at the impressive Progress, its price is significantly higher.

Last night after reading the "bigger is better" opinions, I was leaning heavily Ideal Steel. Then I came across the discussion on cracks discovered in IS stoves in the last few pages of the Production Woodstock IS thread. Thanks, Chaz, for pointing it out this morning. From what I've read so far, it strikes me that these cracked stoves are roughly the same age. So it seems like a time/use related issue; caused by design or material(s), or both? Whichever, a buyer like myself would be wise to hesitate before spending $2K on a young wood stove model, and not just from Woodstock. But just how long should that test of time be? The Absolute Steel is even younger than the Ideal, right? Living closer to Woodstock headquarters might heighten my comfort level with the Ideal Steel. And based on all its gleaming reviews, learning about Woodstock's fixes to the problem(s) might be enough to convince me.

 

I'm confident in that, as well as to the fact they will assist us if/when ours develops a crack.

I felt it was only right to advise Pants on fire about the potential issue.

An informed consumer is a good thing.

 

What were the problems with the Progress?

 

Backwoods Savage may have missed the question.

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