Recommendations for a wood insert ???

My Jotul thread got me nothing so opening it up to anything. My wife and I are wanting to have installed a wood burning insert in our fireplace. I am looking for advice on which brands lead the pack for heating. I do not have the room for a stove so need to do an insert. There is a blower unit now and we have used for the last few years but it is time to get something much more efficient and puts out more heat. Thanks in advance

 

Thx for reply..She just wants HEAT !!!! I was looking at Quadra-Fire which we do have a dealer near by.

 

We had a open fireplace with a heatilator fan. Then I put on a quadrafire 4100i insert. My wife loves the quadrafire. It looks great, and is our primary source of heat. I'll dig up my thread and link it.

 

Buck stove 91 on Christmas eve.

 

I got distracted. Thanks for the hotlink buddy!

 

Thanks everyone !!!!

 

Welcome to the club, Satchmo1960 !
I think your gonna like it here!

 

Thx TurboDiesel

 

I would avoid Vermont castings, until their new owner gets his suppliers and parts figured out. Family member worked there bought the stove from them and still couldn't get parts and he worked in the production factory.

 

I am liking the Kuma and also the Harman/ Quadra-Fire

 

Heard good things about both!! Welcome to the FHC Satchmo1960.

 

Thank you...I have been all over the chain saw forums and finally pulled the trigger on a Echo CS 590 Timber Wolf

 

As beautiful as they are, like the merrimack and other VC inserts are, I heard the same thing that the quality isn't the same after they changed ownership.

 

I've got a Blaze King Princess Insert that was installed this past November. Albeit is the ugliest durn thing, the BK catalyst system is impressive and effective. In shoulder season I was doing 24hr reloads and in Jan, when it was brutal on the east coast, I was reloading every 12 hrs. For a first time wood burner, the stove wasn't imposing at all. And with the thermostatic control, dialing is was as simple as getting the catalytic combustor into the active zone and calling it a day. No fiddling. Just set and forget. BK has some better looking inserts fwiw.

 

Yup beautiful, but no parts no service equals.. No Way

 

I purchased mine used on another forum. Manufacture date was like 7 years ago, but sat in a dealer forever and then sold to a couple that never installed it. Anyway, I purchased from them. I started a build thread and in the process of posting I mentioned that the trim pieces that came with the insert weren't correct and even though I'd flipped and mitered one of the trim pieces to 'good enough' specs, the VP of Blaze King contacted me directly and said he was going to send me a new trim kit free of charge. It arrived a few days later.

Can't beat customer service like that.

 

If you are on a budget and don't need the amazing long and low temp burns that a cat equipped insert will provide, I would highly recommend a Drolet 1800i, it has one of the largest fireboxes (2.4cubes) in an insert, and it's got a pretty strong output on full burn...and with a full load of good wood it will deliver useable heat for 8 hours at a time. I like the looks when paired with the surround( it's no Vermont castings work of art mind you) and if you shop around you can get one well under a grand. Four seasons in, I love it.

If you are new to word burning, it's easy to start, and easy to regulate. And buying new means no having to refurbish, repair, clean...and no lingering doubts that you might have buying a used one off Craigslist.