How Bad Does Okanagan Suck as A Company, Let Me Tell You...

I could not agree more, back in November after thanksgiving I picked up okie platinum's, worst POS pellet I have ever burned. Nice clean pellets very little fines.
Stove had a full cleanout before I started to the okie's. Well, stove would only reach 350 at max, burned dirty. Back to the Laqcrete's……... Temps up to 375-400.
Hey maybe it's just my stove, I see Aubuchon must have 20 tons of the okies still there. For $7.29 per bag they can keep them.

 

saw easy heat pellets at Aubuchon for 339.00 ton??/
are they kidding? crappiest pellets around....they get 225.00 ton here...

 

Yes, they can be very difficult to feed. The stove was designed in Oregon and the designer had the benefit of some of the best softwood pellets available. I was told, early on, if I could get Okanagan DF, I'd be fine. So, for the first few years I used the stove all was good. The Bear Mountain Okie DF burned just like it was supposed to and the stove was incredible. We all know the AB Okie is nothing like the old Okie no matter what anyone says. Last year was a disaster. The pellets were huge causing the gravity feed to bog down. Couple that with the fact (and Chris Basinger acknowledged this on the phone with me and in emails) that the pellets would just crumble under the slightest pressure and I was having nothing but trouble sustaining a high temperature burn. Keep in mind, it's not uncommon to burn these stoves for hours at 600 degrees. I was struggling with sustaining temperatures above 300 degrees.

Another thing about these stoves is that is absolutely imperative that they remain as clean as possible. I seldom go three days without shutting down the stove and cleaning it out. I even go so far as to use a leaf blower to blow whatever might be resting in the corners of the stove out through the flue. That wasn't even enough with last years Okies because with all the powdery pellets getting crushed, the firebox and chute would get gummed up in no time. Like I said, it was a disaster.

I was just looking back at the dozens emails that were sent between me, the sales manager of Okie and the owners of House of Warmth where I purchased the pellets. The owner of HOW even quoted another owner of the Wiseway who was also unhappy with the quality of the Okie DF and chose not to buy any.

I'm currently burning some of the newer Okie from this season at a cost of $370 a ton and believe me, they are still nothing like the Okie DF I used to get. It's clear that AB has no interested in really providing a super premium product. They're happy coasting on the reputation Okie gained over the years when their product really was first rate. Thankfully, I've been able to fill the shed with another companies softwood pellets. They may not be the ultimate answer for me but they burn better than the Okie DF for $70 a ton less.

Okie sucks and Bob Davis is a liar.

 

I read enough about the Okie Platinum that I decided to just get the DF. I remember being told they were no longer being made at the Bear Mountain facility but were being made at another mill, "just down the road." I had purchased Platinums in the past and found that they generated a little more ash than the DF and they were typically about 50-75 degrees lower in their burn temps. All to be expected. But, having heard so many of the horror stories about the AB Okie Platinum I decided to stay away. As chitty as the DF was, at least I was able to limp my way through the winter with them. I might have been resorting to other forms of heat had I wasted my money on the Platinums.

 

Wise choice PG

 

Yea, Paul......when Okie was shut down, I wondered what was going to happen......then in comes a buyer.....who basically only buys the Okie name...I wonder why, if its not to coast on the good name of Okie, and, well, profit based on A DIFFERENT PELLET!

 

But did we ever know what was in the bags. From Time to time there would be a mill issue and a little swap aroo would occur. Like when the original oakie shut dowm their mill. No harm no foul, well hopefully. Just like what happened with year 1 of northern warmth when their douglas fir wasnt up to snuff but was supposed to be the same as the oakie douglas fir. Buy pellets from a bagging operation and you are rolling the dicr.

 

Agree in a small way, Daff, but there really aren't many " bagging operations".....just one in the NE, I believe, near you.
Yea, I pretty much always knew what was in the bags(up until the original Okie demise), but then I've a pretty good rapport with the bagging mill. I can't say I have found issues with the Nortern Warmth, except for the early issue of fines (maybe what you're alluding to?). The fines issue was solved though, so, no longer really an issue.
Any pellet can have inconsistencies. One year, they might be great, while the next year, not so much. They could burn completely differently. You can hedge your bet somewhat, but no guarantees. For instance, Dry Creek....originally a great pellet.....then, something happened......and that name has been plagued ever since. As a dealer, I really don't want to take the chance on a fairly sizable investment for roughly the same money as others......there would have to be a good reason to try them (hint: VERY cheap).

Happy New Years everyone! Please celebrate responsibly.

 

I would say american biomass is another aggragator, maybe bagging operation wasnt the right word, more places where what is in the bag isnt always the same. New oakies and cleanfire brand of pellets come to mind. To another degree you play roulette with tsc private bags. You dont know whats in them. The northern warmth issue was the first years douglas fir wasnt up to snuff with the original oakie douglas fir that they were supposedly the same as.

 

oh, you mean the shell game where a mill bags the same product under many different guises? yea, I agree there.....and pretty common these days

 

The only difference is that TSC bags can usually be identified by the code. I know that my local TSC usually carries MWP's so just check the code before picking any up. If the code isn't what I am used to seeing, I pass (that has only happened once and that was end of season).

 

Yep. There are only so many mills and a multitude of pellets. I know of at least 5 different brands coming out of Shelton, WA and it's all the same pellet.

 

Sort by state to see which mills are near you. Probably you have access to these pellets but you should also research which brands these mills produce. I simply sent an email out to the mill guy and he flat out told me if I find a brand at a lesser value than this brand, that I should get it because it's the same product. I was able to produce marketing evidence that would suggest it was the same and he just spilled the beans.

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There’s some “cat pee” vintage Okies for sale over in RI. Where’s pell it?

Super Premium Wood Pellets

 

Haven't seen these for awhile...original "Okies" from BC (old Westwood plant in Kelowna BC)...in those bags, the product is probably about 9 years old....some considered them the best softwood pellet available in New England besides Douglas Fir back in the day....really didn't think anyone still had any ...

 

I saw those but didn’t have a chance to jump on them. I’m roasting these from another Craigslist score. Bag date is 2015.