Woodstoves – The Finalists
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After months and months of looking at wood stoves, I’ve narrowed the field own to four models. And the nominees are…
Clockwise, from top left: Scan Model 60 ($2000); Morso Model 3142 ($1568); Morso 8142 ($3000); Zephyr 2.0 ($1700).
You can read more about these models from my earlier post here. The three deciding factors will be 1) Design 2) Price and 3) Convenience (primarily log size).
And speaking of log size, there’s a big difference between all of these models. The Morsos use 12″ logs (tiny for the Pacific Northwest); The Scan uses 18″ logs (reasonable); and the Zephyr uses 21″ logs (just about anything we throw at it).
The other factor to consider is burn time. The Euro-models list a 7-8 hour burn time (longer for the Scan), while the Zephyr burns for a full 10 hours.
July 8th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I have been looking at stoves as well….
I love the Scan 60 and the Morso 8142…..
What stove did you end up going with?!?!
July 8th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Hey Thomas,
From an aesthetic perspective, the Morso is a much more handsome unit. However, I have heard some feedback that it doesn’t handle ash as well, and it appears to use a smaller log. The Morso is also quite a bit more expensive, so if your budget is a factor, then the Scan may be the right choice.
I still haven’t been able to solidify financing, so we’re in a holding pattern. I’m not sure if the artist or pragmatist will win out in the stove debate. It’s a central feature of the home, so I may end up biting the bullet.
Shawn
July 8th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Thanks for the reply Shawn.
Money is a part of the equation, as it always is for everything I suppose. I don’t really care too much about a couple grand difference though, considering the longevity and use I’ll get out of the unit.
My biggest concern is actually chopping wood 18″ in length vs. 12″. Seems to me that I’d be using 33% less energy (muscle energy!), with the 18’s…..
I also looked at some Wittus stoves, made by a Danish company. Check them out at Wittus.com The Zeus looked attractive to me and at 2795 + shipping was somewhat doable…. It also could take up to 16″ logs, so maybe that is the compromise?!?!?
Let me know how things go, and what direction you eventually go.
January 4th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Hi Shawn,
Just wondering if you have chosen the stove and which one you went for.
We are just finishing a small cottage and realize we need a stove…
did the wood size win out over aesthetics?
Great website, Thanks Alex
January 5th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Hey Alex,
My project is on hold for the foreseeable future…however, in the meantime, I did decide to do a little remodel of the existing home. I added a RAIS wood-burning insert, which is really nice. I haven’t fully installed it, but when the project is done, I’ll post on the blog.
I think that if I were only using the stove sporadically, I’d go for the better-designed/smaller fire box. If it were my primary heat source…getting tiny 12″ logs would be a real pain in the butt!
Shawn