Absolute Steel Hybrid

The difference in flipping the IS collar is about 1 1/4".

 

Ah, okay, I see where you're going. They might be interchangeable, I don't know, you'd need to ask someone at WS.

 

I'm not sure you would want an AS in your fireplace anyway. It's a side loader. Seems like a hassle.

 

That's one reason I originally went with a top-loader and then a front-loader. But since I had to extend the hearth anyway, putting the Jotul and then the AS in the fireplace just meant pulling the stove a few inches forward from the original positioning, since it wasn't fully recessed to start with. (As far as heating goes, the further out of the fireplace, the better.)

Even though I couldn't quite open the F600 side door all the way, I ended up side-loading most of the time anyway, rather than front-loading. The AS can be positioned several inches into the fireplace opening and still allow for the door to almost fully open, but it is certainly something you need to plan for if getting a sideloader

 

Sorry, I should have said on the hearth. At one time I had the Dutchwest in the fireplace, top-vented, and shoved to one side so I could get the side door open far enough to load. Front door was not big enough to front-load the stove very well. Since I replaced my liner and put a tee at the bottom, I've had all stoves out on the hearth, with the backs of the stoves about even with the plane of the fireplace opening. The AS has the same footprint as the Keystone so it should slip right in there, as far as that goes. It would be great if the IS and AS flue collars had the same bolt-hole pattern and spacing...couldn't get much easier for me. Mabye Lorin Day will chime in...
And yeah, the increased radiation hitting us instead of the fireplace walls is really an improvement.

 

Dennis posted a great pic of the IS collar on page 11.

 

This side art bugs me everytime I see it. That is a planetary gearset. The sun gear is in the center, planetary carrier is the 3 small gears, and the ring gear on the outside.

Why are the planetary carrier gears not centered? Haha I know it's art, but I'm a mechanic .

 

insofar as using the website mentioned there are some who value privacy and others that need the conveniences, said in a non judgmental way. the AS is interesting, for a long thread we might have gotten more on burn time. if your circumstances dictate a side loader, you have a big plus right there. the IS pleases me in several ways with the huge firebox giving extended burn times. it's a homely sort of industrial looking unit which doesn't bother me. the AS is very pretty especially the simple prairie. aside from good burn time the IS has a lot of mass to which i added the soapstones that fit in the fenders, this along with a hearth pad that was added to the IS's requirements. what with the greater thermal mass the heat is more evened out in my little house. the jotul 500 it replaced was apparently a good boat anchor. i would buy anything that WS produces, with a bias towards size.

 

I haven't been on the forums so I just caught this today. The Ideal Steel and Absolute Steel have different flue collar hole patterns, so you cannot use one collar on the other stove. Let me know if you have other questions.
Lorin

 

We are still burning the beta Absolute Steel Hybrid this Spring, and are still very happy with it. Really liking the steel stove in the shoulder season for the quick fires to cut through the dampness - we tend to baby the PH's soapstone, so when it goes cold during a warm spell and then gets re-started we bring it up to temp slowly. But no babying required with the steel. Holds the coals well from small fires, restarts easily from those coals. A very nice stove to run.

We have put more than 3.5 cord through it, and a lot of that was during colder weather where we were pushing the stove as hard as we could. No construction issues to report - it is solidly made, and has a simple construction (few moving parts, simple direct mechanisms, solid latches, easy access for maintenance). The cat heat shield and the shield on the bottom of the stovetop show no sign of warping/scaling. It has been very uneventful with regard to reporting issues to Woodstock.

We will be buying one of these, as a second to the PH.

 

I had mine going a day or two ago, when it got cold, damp and raw here in Massachusetts. It felt more like late October than May!

I haven't put nearly the the amount of wood you have through mine, maybe 3/4 of a cord at most. It has taken some usage to find the right settings and timing for the daily routine of this stove, but it's ease of use is impressive. The Cat engagement mechanism took a month of use before it became a nice solid notch for the open position. It's a cam'd mechanism but I think the gaskets took a little time to settle in. The Draft mechanism I found worked great and was user friendly for me, but I was told they were making adjustments to that. The door mechanism is a thing of beauty. Form Follows Function perfection.

I love the size of the box, although I "think" it may require a larger hearth for my install depending on clearance specs. But it is a stove that is easily a load twice a solid 12 hour or more burn with good wood. No hurry to fill in the morning, just sometime before noon and it will take right off when you do refill.

I also really like the skirts under the door and in the front. This really makes keeping the hearth clean and neat easy.

And, oh, least we forget, the Woodstock ash-pan is makes it so easy and CLEAN to deal with the ashes AND burn good coals down to ash dust.

Finally, when you might want to clean the glass, the removeable andirons make it so much easier than it is on my Fireview.

It an excellent product and a nice addition to the Woodstock family of stoves.

 

I just read a few pages since I haven't been here since last fall. It's so good to see the AS make it's way onto the beta scene and the testers came in with some good results.
I was at the open house last fall and got to see the stove in action with a few of the other FHC members in attendance. WS does make a good steel product that has definitely been less than gingerly tested.