We're building a smaller (12'x24' with a 12' loft) barn style cabin on our hunting property, and I'm trying to decide on what stove to put in it. It will not be insulated, it will have 5 windows (4 on ground floor and 1 for the loft), a residential door, and will have a metal roof. I know it not being insulated will make things less ideal, but I think I've settled on the Drolet Deco II and wanted ya'lls thoughts on it. Mainly the Deco II because it's a smaller east-west loader and in my experience the East-West loads do better for slower, longer burns and I'm worried a N/S loader will burn too fast and get too hot for that small of a space. Also wondering if a Drolet is too "nice" of a stove for an off-grid cabin and if I should just get a cheaper US Stove/Grand Teton stove from TSC and call it a day. We'll only be there on the weekends during hunting season (Nov - end of Jan) and maybe for 3-4 straight days during the holidays. I've got PLENTY of nice dry wood ranging from oak/hickory/cherry to tulip poplar and pine.
With the high ceiling in the there that stove should be fine. Where you buying, local? If not, check out myfireplaceproducts.com it's basically the drolet factory outlet store.
I have no love for a US stove. I also have no experience with Drolet but know a few that have them and like them very well.
X2, USSC is chicom junk (ironically), spend an extra couple hundred and get something made to last more than a couple years...better functionally too...plus they are made by our friends up north, and drolet will actually stand behind their warranty, I've personally seen it. I've had a drolet 1400i in the living room FP for years now...don't use it a ton, but it works great when it's called on.
My TN19 N/S burner goes overnite and it certainly doesn't burn "too hot". Drolet has a couple of smaller stoves but they may not burn long enough for your use. I'd rather have a stove made on the continent than from the wetsren pacific. That said, I had good luck with a Taiwan stove that never got good grades. I was lucky and got a good one although at 40 years old it had started to fall apart so I recycled it this Summer. That Deco II ;looks like a good choice and note that Drolet has sales on some models every now and then.
No experience on the Drolet Deco II, but I do have a Drolet 1800i for several years now. Bought and began using winter of 2018/19. It's been very good to me so far and the customer service has been very good. I believe they've sent me two baffles early on because I was a noob and cracked it trying to play Tetris. I've also reached out to them with various questions especially early on and they've always responded and been helpful. Good luck with your decision!
Not sure I agree that E/W loaders have longer burn times. With a N/S loader you can fit more firewood in without worrying about logs rolling down into the glass and fit them tighter. You also get a better front to back cigar type burn with a N/S loader. A shallow E/W firebox seems to engulf the whole load at once especially in a non cat stove. I would also consider the Drolet Spark II.
