Ideal Steel: How often to clean cat?

I'm in the market for a new cat for my BK princess and the current price for the replacement ceramic cat in my 2.8 CF BK princess (6" flue, arguably more comparable to the 3.2 CF IS than a 4.3 CF king on an 8" flue) is just 186$. Pretty close to 175$ but yes, the IS is slightly cheaper.

I like your 2 year plan. I think I can get 2.5 seasons out of a cat but by the end of that magical 12-14k hours I am seriously losing efficiency.

The regency is not even in the same performance ballpark as the rest. Yes, a large firebox but very short burntimes from such a huge firebox which tells me that there is very little control of burn rate. There's also the Kuma cat stove that is more efficient than any Woodstock or BK. They really did well with the testing.

I might just get spunky and blow out or vacuum out my princess cat this evening. This cat is hard to get up to 1600 now that it's getting worn out at about 13,600 hours.

 

Yes, a B.K. Princess IS a direct competitor to an I.S. in size, vent size and so forth. I know the B.K. King is a much larger stove but those were the two I was comparing, not the Princess with the I.S. If for no other reason than as I said, I know where there is a King for sale at $3K, or at least there was back when I was still shopping. And also agreed that the Princess combustor is the same price or close enough- $10 or $20 will not make any difference in the big picture.

As far as the different stoves, I think they will all behave [more or less] the same if compared with the same size firebox. If a particular wood stove will not throttle down far enough to give a long, slow burn, an outside damper can be put in an OAK to make that work, as will a stove pipe damper. In the end, there is not all that much technology in wood burning really, it is mostly chemistry and that would be the same for all stoves, at least those of similar design. Sure a pot belly stove, with its bottom draft and narrow, high, and un- insulated firebox will be a very different animal but all modern, insulated wood stoves of similar design should burn with similar characteristics. I would not put much stock in published data by the manufacturer because it is all so variable as to end up meaningless; after all, what marks the end of a 'burn'? When the stove is not putting out enough useful heat to heat the building it is in? When it is cool to the touch? I think that listed burn times are about useless and really, a potential buyer has to go by the firebox size and the stove design and assume the rest is either the same (draft size, minimum burn rates, etc.) or can be controlled to be the same.

Yeah, I am a fan of the 1 1/2 year lifespan of a combustor but the one in my I.S. at this moment is proving me wrong- it <should> be about dead but is proving to be quite active and easy to light and keep lit throughout a burn. And I am entering the end of a two year cycle so go figure. ?? I am burning older and very probably slightly drier wood so maybe that alone is making the difference, although last year's wood was two years old at least. ?? Beats me but I am going to ride this one out as far as it will go comfortably before buying a new one (cat.).

Brian