I can't believe it. Found these dudes out of Virginia being sold at Lowes up here. First hardwood pellet I have ever seen. No, I didn't buy any - - although I am a wee bit curious. Any of you blokes try these?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I can't believe those somehow made it out there, had to be a mistake shipment out there...lol
O'Malley pellets leave the hardest speedbumps i ever had. Talking chisel time. Could not wait to get rid of them.
We spend tons of money on softwoods from your area for a reason... Dan (we get ZERO calls for hardwood here...)
I really think you should grab a bag or 2 to try dotman, you will quickly appreciate your pellet choices you got out West.
Pacific Northwest pellet buyers are lucky when it comes to the Doug firs.... I think we may get Fir brands from Canada but don't think they are as good..
These pellets made a brief appearance at the local TSC store a few seasons back. Bought a few bags. They were not good. Suffice to say if you are going to try a hardwood pellet, this isn't the one you want setting a first impression.
Thanks for the feedback. I continue to pass. My batch of Bear Mountains have been exceptional this year
Ok, I do concur, not the best of the hardwood pellets, fo' sho'. But, knowing what shipping costs to get from one side of the country to the other, its really not a bad price. I wonder if this is some sort of backhaul deal? A trucker loads up on firs from the PNW, and then backhauls from VA? I cant imagine there are typically many backhaul flatbed loads from the east coast to the west. Thats why its usually rail freight.
Well mainly we can get CleanBurn, Lignetics, Olympus, or Bear Mountain or variations from their plants. That is, the same pellet is marketed under different names or perhaps the same plant produces a slight variation like Bear Mountain sells a Golden Fire pellet which is the exact same as their Bears except they add 5% cedar mixture to it. Sometimes we can get North Idaho Energy pellets or something else. All are either strictly Douglas Fir or a fir mixture. Every now and then we get an odd ball pellet like this one posted above. It's the first time I've seen it in 3 years. In fact, I've never seen a hardwood pellet offered until now. I've said repeatedly in this forum that I buy all my pellets from a local company out of Oregon called Coastal Ranch and Farm. Best pellet prices around. Their whole business model is built around pellets and they have contracts with two of the best local plants in the area -- Bear Mountain in Oregon and Olympus in Washington. If I wait on the best deals -- which sometimes actually come at the start of the season -- I can pick up a ton of 100% Douglas Fir pellets on sale for $200, and a $20 discount card to be applied on my next purchase -- which can also be applied to the sale item. The last summer the morons threw in free delivery too so I bought 6 tons. Any other non-sale day, I can expect to pay $230 a ton. So ya-da-da-da. The others members in this forum are sick of me pointing that out -- but you asked. Buying pellets out here is great -- if not boring. I've called every supplier I know around and nobody can touch Coastal Ranch and Farm prices. And they sell two of the best. So when my supplies are running low, I know where I'm going and what I'm buying.
I should. But I probably won't. They are selling bags of kiln dried Birch firewood at Lowes at a rip-off price of $10. Just for fun, I bought a bag -- and my wife loved it so much I went back and bought a couple more. But $10 fire is highway robbery! Still, I burn one of those bags in my firebox and it's like microwave of heat. It's raging in minutes and it raises the entire upstairs temperature by 10 degrees in about an hour or hour and a half. I have dry cherry that will do that -- but it isn't kiln dried -- so it takes longer.
dotman17 Thanks so much for the detailed response! Those are amazing prices for softwood pellets. As you can imagine, it's a tad more expensive on this coast! What are the prices on the big box softwood pellets out there? And as always, I do love some good irony: Hardwood for your wood stove is coveted; softwood...good for kindling and shoulder season. Softwood pellets are coveted for pellet stoves. Hardwood pellets are good for shoulder season. Or if you're on the East Coast, hardwood pellets are good enough.
I'll take photos next time I am in Lowe's or Home Depot. They often don't list the ton prices but I will ask. I know I got a couple tons of Olympus disguised as different pellet brand during their season sales. A side note: our pellet prices are way better but firewood is a different deal. If you are looking for hardwood, you have to travel to the center of the state. And you'll pay more. A cord of fir on this side of the Cascades can easily run you over $300 and it's probably green. Hardwoods in the western part of the state are difficult to find and if you find 'em you are going to pay for them. For example, some maple or madrona can be had but be ready to buck up. My friend and I travel to the orchards on the other side of the mountains and can load up a cord of dry cut cherry or apple for around $200. But then we pay about $20 for gas and give up at least a half day on a Saturday to get it and load up his trailer, then I have to stack it when I get home. So about $200-$220 and most the day for a cord of hardwood. If I want seasoned maple cut and delivered... I am guessing that's going to cost you $450+ during the off-season. Don't even think about it during the in season. It's all relative.
Where you getting that? $350 seasoned seem reasonable for maple but it's tough when I know I can get a cord of seasoned cherry for $200.
