Any info on the Next Gen Gearhead Stove?

It's amazing how many great custom desgins they have on display up there, and on their Blog. Take the combination of a state of the art heater, in a variety of sizes with good looking designs that are a "funky industrial" but get dressed up with cool customizations and colors, and you get a market winner. Something that differentiates itself from all the competition. One of the Franklins is gonna look great where my Resolute is (on it's last legs in the family room.) Great having left or right feed and top or rear flue.

Anyone know will the Franklin have a ash pan like the big brother and the PH? Thats the one feature I haven't heard about yet but I'd love to see get implemented. Might be a cost issue, but it would be a nice option. Either way, I'm excited about it.

 

I honestly didn't pay attention to the ash system on the new stove - we were looking more at the top-end, talking about air. {edit: this is not an IS scaled down.}

I did put a pitch in for a retrofit air control for us PH owners and got a smile. They are testing some ideas. Didn't sound like an imminent fix, but they have heard us and are looking at some interesting designs.

 

I know this isn't a IS scaled down. Jaime explained some of the things they're doing with this stove and some of it has to do with ongoing improvements of the hybrid system and also proactively anticipating new/future mandates from the EPA. So this is an ongoing development trend WS has been on I think ever since the Progress.

I'll say this, the Hybrid system they have, just based on the friends I have that have them, is incredible. The PH throws heat like it's a nuclear plant! LOL! I'm sure the IS has similar capabilities, but I don't need anything in that size/price range for my needs, which is how I ended up with a WS Fireview in my main living area. I've got a 26'X20" family room in the basement, insulated walls and insulated hung ceiling that I am looking at this Franklin for, Looks to be the ideal size/features for my needs, although I am totally jealous of you PH and IS owners with that excellent ashpan system.

 

Yeah, for some reason after I first posted I was thinking that some others had alluded to it being a smaller version of the IS, so I added that comment afterward. I was seeing enough interesting different parts on the air system that I didn't even think about an ash pan, but agree that it is a must-have on their stoves where it is offered. I suspect between the IS and the new stove, the lack of an ash pan would be a deal-breaker for us - we'd go with the bigger stove with the pan even if the smaller stove would suffice.

 

Well yeah, but that IS is just B-I-G!