I agree with your thoughts. The Ideal Steel is the right choice for you. It has a higher total btu output which will help you get your house up to temperature quickly. It will give you an easy 12 + hours of heat so you don't have to rush home or wake up early. When you do reload there will be plenty of hot coals waiting for you. I believe the Absolute Steel has similar qualities, but as I said earlier the difference will be keeping your house warm vs. keeping it comfortable during those periods you are away. A bigger firebox is always an advantage.
Welcome to the forum woodwiz It sounds as if the Heritage is not the right stove and I agree that the IS would be a good choice for your situation. You should get some good long burn times and also keep your home much warmer. btw, the last time we were in the market for a stove we did look long at the Heritage but was very happy after we made the choice of a Woodstock Fireview. I don't think the Heritage would have done the job that the Fireview is doing and it is super nice to be able to keep our house around 80 degrees all winter long. I think the only time we were much below 80 last winter was that morning it was down to -26 degrees. Was still in the 70's but I'm glad the temperature raised outdoors! Good luck and to be sure, Woodstock is second to none with customer service and workmanship. Plus they have a fantastic guarantee.
schlot if you click on his location in his avatar, a map will come up with the area. Troll. Below the bridge.
Welcome to the show Woodwiz, Lot's of advise here, and the best people on the planet! ….. "Don't mention Beer"…..
Sometimes I have to mention beer as it becomes my absent minded time keeper. As in........"I reloaded the stove, gave it about a beer and engaged the cat, 1 more beer and closed the air another notch"....... Not exactly science I realize but it works.
Just be careful then…. It can throw a whole thread into oblivion real quick! And by the way, "NICE" to have you aboard! "WELCOME!
Welcome Woodwiz! I've gone through several stoves now and the IS is really proving to be a great performer for me. Yeah the Progress is very pretty lookin', would rather have had it's nice looks but I went with value there, slightly larger plus the IS air control was a big advantage to me. And the new AS might have even finer air control. But yeah it looks like the value is still best with the IS (just my opinion, and eagerly reading the new talk on the AS). How quickly do you need to decide? Lots of other great stoves out there too, if you don't need horizontal venting I'd be considering a Blaze King as well.
I don't need or want horizontal venting, straight up is my setup. I did look long and hard at he BK's. but I think I am too "left brained" to own one. For my situation there is a lot of "love" involved in processing the fuel and I want to overthink the best way to burn it.......cant drink enough beer to make running a BK interesting..........dammit mentioned beer again......I know I was warned
He said it Gang!!!! Beer, beer, beer, , were gonna get a beer, beer, beer, I like drinking beer! Lovely, lovely beer!
Well woodwiz if you happen to go to Woodstock to get your stove, I'd pick you up a heady hopper and the Greensboro farm beer that just got rated 1 in world. if you like uncommon beer long trail brewing is 30 minutes or less from company unless your a bud or colors fan then we wouldn't waste it on you
Would love to pick up the stove at WS but don't think it is n the cards. I am a Canadian at heart and since Bud sold out to the Chex I wont drink it, so the mainstay beer is Labatts and the rest is Michigan micro brews!!