Pellet and Wood Stoves Reviews: Best Pellet and Wood Stoves

Best wood-pellet stove

*Est. $3,000 Compare Prices

Reviews say this 50,000-BTU pellet stove, made by one of the top brands, is rated for heating an area up to 1,700 square feet. It can handle wood pellets of any grade, and the 65-pound hopper and large ash tray minimize… maintenance. The stove works automatically -- self-igniting and with a superior computerized temperature control for consistent heat. An optional battery backup keeps it running if the electricity fails. The attractive classic design includes a large viewing window. The stove is extremely efficient, with minimal emissions, and carries a six-year warranty that covers the whole stove.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Dulley.com: Household energy expert Jim Dulley lists the Harman pellet stoves among 14 brands recommended in this buyer's guide, noting that ...

ConsumerReports.org: This buyer's guide to pellet and wood stoves lists Harman as one of 17 brands. However, the article neither rates the brands nor ...

Kiplinger Personal Finance: This article recommends the Harman XXV pellet stove, based on advice from an experienced retailer. No testing is documented. The ...

This Old House: This article on pellet stoves describes their advantages. The print version of the article mentions the Harman XXV along with two ...

Wise Heat: At the time of our report, three owners review the Harman XXV pellet stove here, giving it high scores for performance, ...

GardenWeb.com: This detailed and enthusiastic owner-written review of the Harman XXV draws comments from other readers. Other forum discussions ...

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Budget wood-pellet stove

Summers Heat 55-SHP10L

*Est. $1,300 Compare Prices

Like most budget pellet stoves, this model is noisier, requires higher-quality (and more expensive) pellets and is less convenient that other stoves. There's no ash pan to make cleanup easy, and the 40-pound hopper needs… refilling more often than others. The five-year warranty covers fewer parts, and some owners report early breakdowns. However, this basic stove does heat well, and owners say it saves money over traditional heating fuels. It comes ready to hook up to burn only outside air (to minimize indoor air pollution and drafts). It's rated for 1,500 square feet. Larger models are available for heating bigger areas, and the equivalent Englander pellet stoves are made by the same company.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Englander, the company that makes Summers Heat stoves, is one of 17 brands mentioned in this buyer's guide to pellet stoves and ...

PlanetGreen.com: This review is enthusiastic about the Englander pellet stove (essentially the same stove, made by the same company), because it ...

Dulley.com: Household energy expert Jim Dulley lists the England's Stove Works pellet stoves among 14 brands recommended in this buyer's ...

HomeDepot.com: The handful of owners reviewing the equivalent Englander 25-PDVC pellet stove say it heats well. Some complain that the hopper is ...

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Large-capacity multi-fuel pellet stove

Quadra-Fire Mt. Vernon AE

*Est. $3,700 Compare Prices

This 60,200-BTU stove automatically adjusts to burn a wide range of biomass fuels, including sunflower seeds, wheat, corn and various grades of pellets. This lets you hedge your bets when it comes to fuel prices and… supplies. It's rated for heating up to 3,800 square feet, and the 81-pound hopper and programmable thermostat minimize the attention it needs. You can use an optional cord to hook it to a 12-volt car battery to keep the stove going during a power outage. Smaller Quadra-Fire multi-fuel stoves are also available, all with lifetime warranties.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Dulley.com: Household energy expert Jim Dulley lists the Quadra-Fire heaters among 14 brands recommended in this buyer's guide. Though the ...

Wise Heat: Over a dozen owners review the Quadra-Fire Mt. Vernon AE stove here, giving it a relatively high average rating. Some are ...

This Old House: The print version of this article on pellet stoves mentions the Quadra Fire stove along with two other models, but doesn't ...

Hearth.com: This forum discussion is one of several at this site that discuss Quadra-Fire products. One new owner provides some photos of the ...

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Best wood stove

Hearthstone Heritage

*Est. $2,825 Compare Prices

Soapstone adds mass to this stove, so it keeps radiating heat for as long as 12 hours after you load it with firewood. Experts recommend this type if you keep the stove going all season long, and Hearthstone is one of the… top brands. The glass window is extra large, and the stove is easily adapted to burn only outside air (to minimize indoor pollution). The 55,000-BTU Heritage wood stove is rated for up to 1,900 square feet, and a larger Mansfield model is also available. Both carry a lifetime warranty and are EPA-certified for low emissions.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Hearth and Home Magazine: The Hearthstone Heritage earns an Honorable Mention for relatively low emissions in this review of EPA-certified woodstoves, ...

The Chimney Sweep: This chart compares the Hearthstone Heritage with several other woodstoves by Hearthstone and Pacific, showing the average BTUs ...

Hearth.com: At the time of our report, 17 owners have reviewed the Hearthstone Heritage. Most are enthusiastic, but owners note that it takes ...

Chris Hardwick's Personal Web Pages: This well-illustrated review discusses the first six weeks of the author's use of the Heritage stove, but includes useful details ...

Mother Earth News: This buyer's guide (by a writer who's written for years about wood heat) mentions the larger Hearthstone Mansfield as an example ...

Newsweek: This very brief article recommends another Heritage stove as a good example of newer, cleaner wood burning stoves, but no testing ...

GreenYour.com: This buyer's guide recommends four brands of EPA-certified wood stoves, including Hearthstone, but recommends buying from an ...

Fine Homebuilding: This buyer's guide doesn't recommend the Hearthstone Heritage stove specifically, but does recommend any EPA-certified ...

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Small wood-burning stove

Vermont Castings DutchWest 2478

*Est. $1,550 Compare Prices

This is the mid-sized model from one of the most recommended EPA-certified woodstove brands. With a maximum output of 40,000 BTU, this cast-iron woodstove is recommended for heating areas from 800 to 1,400 square feet. It… can hold a fire as long as 10 hours, so you can load it before leaving for work and again at bedtime. It comes ready to burn outside air to minimize indoor pollution. The Everburner noncatalytic design is easy to use and has been refined so it rivals catalytic wood stoves for low emissions. The warranty is for three years on the cast iron, one year for other parts and lifetime on the Everburner system.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Hearth and Home Magazine: The Vermont Castings DutchWest earns one of the top spots in the Certified Stoves Hall of Fame because of its very low emissions.

Hearth.com: Nearly 30 owners review various Vermont Castings stoves in the DutchWest series, but some review the catalytic version. Owners ...

Gordosoft Corporation: This detailed anonymous review covers the Vermont Castings DutchWest 2479 - the next size up -- with a link to a review and ...

Dulley.com: The Vermont Castings DutchWest series is among the wood stoves recommended in this buyer's guide by household energy expert Jim ...

Old House Web: This older article recommends an earlier Vermont Castings woodstove, the Defiant, but doesn't document any testing.

Fine Homebuilding: This excellent buyer's guide doesn't recommend specific brands, instead suggesting choosing any EPA-certified noncatalytic ...

GreenYour.com: This buyer's guide recommends Vermont Castings as one of four brands of EPA-certified wood stoves, but recommends buying from an ...

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Budget wood stove for occasional use

Vogelzang Defender TR001

*Est. $600 Compare Prices

This small EPA-certified woodstove (for up to 1,200 square feet) emits more pollutants than the other stoves ConsumerSearch recommends, and it isn't as fuel-efficient, but it still meets Washington state's strict… environmental standards. Its steel body radiates heat quickly, and the cast-iron door has a glass window for viewing the fire. The main drawbacks are that it's front-loading only and holds a fire only for about eight hours -- not enough if you work away from home -- and the warranty is for only one year.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Vogelzang is one of 17 brands mentioned in this buyer's guide to pellet stoves and woodstoves, but the article doesn't test or ...

Fine Homebuilding: This buyer's guide doesn't recommend specific brands, but does say that any EPA-certified noncatalytic woodstove should be a good ...

Northerntool.com: A handful of owners give the Vogelzang Defender stove mixed reviews here, with half saying it puts out plenty of heat, half ...

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Pellet and Wood Stoves: Reviews

Best wood-pellet stove

Budget wood-pellet stove

Large-capacity multi-fuel pellet stove

Best wood stove

Small wood-burning stove

Budget wood stove for occasional use