Why did you buy your brand of pellet stove?

Just asking a question and not leaning toward any brand so that conversation will be frowned upon. Why did you buy your brand of stove? Could it be impulse buying, brand loyalty, dealer, price, but not limited to those choices?

Eric

 

quietness, looks, features, versatility.

 

My Jeopardy answer: What are four qualities that SmokeShow does not have!!

 

It was the price, it was what was available at that time. Most every thing was on back order due to the steep rise in oil prices. The Harmon dealers sold stoves they didn't have and couldn't get. Junk pellets were selling for 270 a ton. Would I have bought a different stove had I been able, yes. But I am not unhappy with the one I have now. I would prefer one with a stat, one that produced more heat, and one that isn't picky about what it is being fed.

 

The order for the P68A was delayed until who knew when so I bought a used Accentra to feed my pellets which arrived 2 months sooner. Yes, the present stove is under performing on the coldest of days but I learned to live with it. The Fahrenheit is for heating throughout the house so I could kiss goodbye to the dinosaurus furnace when the installation gets done. Did I forget to mention Harman was the brand I picked as my choice at the time(2008).

 

I did my homework , Harman had good reviews , went to the dealer look at several different brands watched them in action . The dealer was great answered all of our ?? Liked the look of the Accentra so we pulled the trigger

 

I bought my XXV first.

originally, I wanted a wood stove but we could not meet the clearances needed for the pipe.

Then we decided to go pellet rather than NG.

The four main reasons we picked Harman:

1- USA made
2-quality
3-traditional wood stove look
4-tolerant of any pellet grade

 

While the urge to buy the "best, most expensive, with all the bells & whistles" was there, I also knew that most local dealers reputations for service after the sale isn't usually very good (not including the OP in this ). I had seen how great Englander's customer service was, and the ability to talk to Mike H. directly or through email pretty much sold me on getting one of their units. I've been working on cars/machines my whole life, including building & racing cars, so I had no concerns about "getting my hands dirty" working on a pellet stove.

From I've seen on stove forums, the most expensive & most complicated units have just as many issues as the lower priced ones....probably more.

Plus, the Englander is an American made stove (and yes, I realize some of the parts inside aren't).

 

Quad Mt. Vernon - found a good used bargain on it and knew it was a significant upgrade over what I was using at the time
Baby Countryside - good price on a unit that fit the bill for it's intended use
ICS Furnace - locally made and well supported unit that burns pretty much anything the auger can pass. She ain't pretty but she keeps us warm.

 

It was either the Harman or a Quad. I went with the Harman because my brother-in-law had his for p68 for 7 years and no problems. My sister has a p68 also and she loves it. I got to see it work outside of the show room and I loved it.

 

Had 25-PDVC that I bought in December '07 when oil prices were going through the roof, and learned right off that without an ash pan, I needed to feed it quality pellets. I was buying them at a local pellet house that sells Harmans and always had one running. Over time (18 months) I decided I needed to upgrade and after watching and asking questions for that 18 months, I decided on a P-61. I was planning on buying in August or September, but in March of '09' they had a sale, $800 off. Bought it new for $2700.

 

Looks, price and customer service. Loved my old pdvc and wanted to upgrade a bit. I didn't bother looking at other brands because I knew I wanted to buy another Englander.

 

That is one buy I would have done. I bet you don't have a day of regret.

 

Friend got a Harman P38 and suggested I look at them.
I hadn't been looking for a stove at all but the price of oil
was going up big time and the idea of a pellet stove made
sense to me as my Mother was always cold and I figured
maybe I could keep the house warmer for less with pellets.
Went and looked at the Harman but wasn't too impressed
for what they had to offer for the money on that P38 which
was all they had left in stock for Harmans and then
the St Croix Prescott caught my eye.
They had them in stock, the price was far more reasonable and the unit had a much bigger hopper and
ash pan, and also had auto ignite and came with a t stat.
It was also built like a tank, made in the U.S.A., and claimed
to burn anything you could throw at it. I came home and researched
the model and found good reviews so went back and bought one. Eight years later,
it has many times exceeded my expectations.

 

Went to buy a Harman… saw all the good reviews.

I walked into the showroom and looked at the prices… after the paramedics revived me, I looked at the used stoves the dealer had in stock. I looked at several (they had about 30 used in stock) but couldn't find the sales guy to ask any questions so I found a service tech roaming around. I asked him what he thought... he walked me over to two St. Croix's on display and told me that's what he would buy… so I did. The stove was $900.00 including a one year warranty. I also paid $75.00 to have the dealer's service tech come out and OK my self-install… he did.

My second stove is an Englander… great unit.

 

I wanted to buy from the local shop that is a mile from my house. My only other criteria was a big hopper for long runs so I could be gone for a day in the dead if winter and it would still be running.

PS

Eatoncat's post needs to be posted in the Hall of Fame.....I literally lol with nobody around when I read that.....classic

 

Researched the heck out of all the brands and came down to wanting reliable, big heat output, easy to maintain and repair if needed, could burn almost any wood pellet grade, large hopper and ash pan and preferably made in USA. I love to tinker with things and taking things apart for repairs is not an issue with me but due to amount of time at work and my time at home being at a premium, I liked the set it and forget it that Harman offered. High price was an issue but the tax break in 2009 helped me make the decision.

 

I bought my 6041 because the price was good and it was better than the Eclipse stove it replaced. All things considered it isn't bad. If I had it to do all over again I'd go with an Englander for the service aspect alone.

I bought the Fahrenheit furnace as I'd read good things about it in Dexter Day's posts, they are a local company to me, great service, I wanted even heat through the house, and I'd have been a fool to pass it up for the price (got it used off CL).