Getting my first wood stove installed next week (just in time for christmas!) and went for an Ecosy Rock CD, just wanted to say i’ve watched so many of your videos and they’ve been so informative and the production quality is remarkable, incredibly professional! Just wanted to say thank you for having a video for almost every question I have, keep up the good work Gabriel!
@@TheTortoise I think the big boys are getting way too greedy now with there pricing if products can be made for this price. £1600 now for top brand 5kw stoves. Extortionate even with inflation etc.
You could be right. Although there are a few differences. This will be shipped in from China, they’re often sold by fitters so there are no costs of showrooms, but also potentially not the same levels of service and back up. It’s a tricky one, but without a doubt the price for this quality is near impossible to argue with!
Like the look of this one. Think I need advice on what to order when I buy my first stove… what on earth is a thermaflue! Also, £70 for a glove seems excessive.
This stove comes with a glove as standard, and Thermaflue is definitely not needed in most cases, so I wouldn’t panic about it. Feel free to ask a question if you need to though.
Hi Gabriel, considering this in small or the saltfire peanut 3 - any thoughts on which of the 2? I can't seem to find your Saltfire Peanut review but I'm sure there is one?! Many thanks, Phil
Have you done a video on hearths and types of fireplace surrounds? How does this stove compare to a bigger brand stove such as the dik Geurts Ivor range? Is it in the same league would you say?
This is a tricky one, because a Ford and a Ferrari both drive you from A to B. This stove is not dissimilar in look and design, but you also cannot avoid the engineering precision, toughness and efficiency (real efficiency, not just efficiency figures) of the Ivar. I like them both, and this one is certainly superb value! In terms of surrounds, this has become a very controversial subject because no one wants to be blamed for an issue. I do want to tackle this issue properly, but I haven’t yet worked out a format that does it justice. But essentially: Stone surrounds can crack from too much heat and wood can twist, crack, crack plaster off the wall, painted wood can discolour or blister. This has lead to manufacturers essentially wanting to distance themselves from this issue. Hence distances to fire surrounds have become childish and more about absolving blame than safety, and the same with some stone surrounds, for fear of cracking. So far my advice to friends and family is, forget what the distances are, make a sensible decision based on our families extensive experience in this area, and then accept that you’re on your own, and you are responsible for what happens going forward. From a safety point of view, very little can go wrong or is likely to go wrong. I’ve had painted pine within 2” of a stove for years and so far I haven’t even managed to discolour the paint. We have cooking stoves fitted next to wooden feather edge boards and stoves fitted on wooden floors. Mostly this has been done to test where problems arise, but after decades of doing tests like this, we’ve found the safety risk to always be much lower than the risk to cracking plaster for example (in other words aesthetic risks are far more likely). Hope that helps a bit, but I will release a proper video on this, once I nail down something sensible to say.
@@TheTortoise Thank you so much for your insightful reply. What you say makes a lot of sense and I'll take it all onboard. I understand that some stoves need to be installed on a constructional hearth? I'm assuming this means something none combustible like slate or brick etc. It would be interesting to know your opinion with respect to this. Look forward to the video when you get around to it 👍
Constructional hearths are 125mm thickness of solid masonry. Otherwise a hearth is something non combustible, solid and a minimum of half an inch or 12mm thickness. In both cases the minimum size is 840mm (33”) square, though large stoves will require larger dimensions.
The more of your reviews I look at the harder it becomes to decide which stove to go for . I live in a bungalow, the lounge is 5.5 m x 3.8 m x 2.4 m , it is brick construction (1960 detached, 2 ouside walls with a large double glazed window )with a 60mm insulated cavity , what kw stove would you recommend ? and is it best to have a single wall flue in the room and then to a double before going through the ceiling, I forgot to say the stove will be free standing. Thanks Great reviews 👍
5kw is where you need to be. Annoyingly 5kw now covers a number of stoves with varying outputs, but in your case I’d be looking for something that was officially 5kw, but with an output range between/around 4-6kw. With regard to the flue, you’re chasing a red herring. Just forget the perceived advantage of getting heat from the flue, the flue needs that heat and we’ve sized the stove correctly so heat isn’t going to be an issue.
Hi Gabriel, Any chance of a review of the Esse 175 as this stove has a catalytic converter and I can see these becoming more common in future due to environmental concerns. Was about to upgrade to a Heta Ambition 5 but the Esse 175 intrigues me. Saying that I could buy a Hunter Allure 7 and a Recoheat for less money than either. Thanks
I have 2 x 5kw arada stoves for a few years and have been absolutely great …. Wanting to upgrade main room to a 8kw … stoves are my main heat for winter so are on 6-8hrs a day all through winter …. Would this in your opinion stand up to that like aradas? If not what would your recommendation be for a heavy use log burner which is not crazy money? Thanks (great content as always)
I think these would do a good job, but if you want a few other options you could look at things like the Herald Allure/Parkray Aspect stoves. The big advantage with both the Pankhurst and the Allure or Aspect is that they will have a much longer burn time than most Arada stoves and should use a lot less fuel too.
Great video. Nice stove. Do you think it would be possible to boil a kettle or a pan of water on top. I struggle with my cheap Chinese stove, as the top is quite thin cast iron and doesn't maintain much heat. I'm jealous of my mother's villager for that. If you have the opportunity, I'd love to see a review of the Salamander little range stove. The addition of a cooking function is an attractive feature.
I have spoken to Contura, but it was last year in the midst of the busy season. Doing some work with them is definitely something I'd like to look at this year.
Hi Gabriel, do you have any recommendations for a 7/8KW Stove budget is around the 1k mark, I have been looking at the Saltfire ST4 but not sure on how reliable the brand is and if the DEFRA kit can be removed?
They do a large version of this stove that may be appropriate. You could also look at the Saltfire stoves, but they won’t tend to have the same burn time as this one. The tougher and more reliable stoves are things like Peanut 8, and STx8
@@TheTortoise I checked out the options you suggested, decided on the Woodford Pankhurst Large 8kw seems to tick all the boxes and the medium looked great on your review, its being delivered tomorrow! thanks again for your help and all your videos very informative and helpful when deciding what to go for, really helped me.
@@stuartibbotson7179 I have not long got it up and running, i DIY'd the install and had a delay on the hearth, but quality is excellent, very heavy, robust, puts out alot of heat, we have a Bungalow and with the hallway door open can feel the heat in the rest of the house, also helps we have a dyson fan moving air, been running it overnight without issue
Not yet but it looks superb. To be honest for this style of appliance, my go to would be an Esse, but that’s because of their long experience in this area. Cooking stoves are become vastly more popular, so others are joining in, but I haven’t tried the Charnwood yet to know whether it’s any good.
@TheTortoise Thanks for the reply! The Esse seems to be the gold standard, but it's a bit too powerful and very expensive. It's good to know there is nothing obvious problem you can see. Cheers!
That’s a good question. I think I prefer the design of this stove, but the aftersales and spares will currently be better with the Ecosy. They’re both good stoves to use though. Genuinely not sure!
Isn't the Woodford Pankhurst an Ecosy stove anyway? It has exactly the same dimensions as the Ecosy Hooga 5 but is fitted with a different door design.
Getting my first wood stove installed next week (just in time for christmas!) and went for an Ecosy Rock CD, just wanted to say i’ve watched so many of your videos and they’ve been so informative and the production quality is remarkable, incredibly professional! Just wanted to say thank you for having a video for almost every question I have, keep up the good work Gabriel!
Thanks Chris. Hope you have a great (and warm) Christmas!
thank you looks great
Similar to an ivar 5 which i run.Single slide bottom lever is easily the best design for air intake. I use my foot most of time . Works perfectly.
I’m definitely one for using my foot to adjust the controls 😆
@@TheTortoise I think the big boys are getting way too greedy now with there pricing if products can be made for this price. £1600 now for top brand 5kw stoves. Extortionate even with inflation etc.
You could be right. Although there are a few differences. This will be shipped in from China, they’re often sold by fitters so there are no costs of showrooms, but also potentially not the same levels of service and back up. It’s a tricky one, but without a doubt the price for this quality is near impossible to argue with!
Like the look of this one. Think I need advice on what to order when I buy my first stove… what on earth is a thermaflue! Also, £70 for a glove seems excessive.
This stove comes with a glove as standard, and Thermaflue is definitely not needed in most cases, so I wouldn’t panic about it.
Feel free to ask a question if you need to though.
Hi Gabriel, considering this in small or the saltfire peanut 3 - any thoughts on which of the 2? I can't seem to find your Saltfire Peanut review but I'm sure there is one?! Many thanks, Phil
The small is probably the more serious tool, but I quite like the character and castings of the Peanut.
Thanks for your reply @@TheTortoise! Really great videos, they've been a great help, many thanks and keep up the good work!
Thanks a lot👍
Have you done a video on hearths and types of fireplace surrounds? How does this stove compare to a bigger brand stove such as the dik Geurts Ivor range? Is it in the same league would you say?
This is a tricky one, because a Ford and a Ferrari both drive you from A to B. This stove is not dissimilar in look and design, but you also cannot avoid the engineering precision, toughness and efficiency (real efficiency, not just efficiency figures) of the Ivar. I like them both, and this one is certainly superb value!
In terms of surrounds, this has become a very controversial subject because no one wants to be blamed for an issue. I do want to tackle this issue properly, but I haven’t yet worked out a format that does it justice. But essentially:
Stone surrounds can crack from too much heat and wood can twist, crack, crack plaster off the wall, painted wood can discolour or blister. This has lead to manufacturers essentially wanting to distance themselves from this issue. Hence distances to fire surrounds have become childish and more about absolving blame than safety, and the same with some stone surrounds, for fear of cracking.
So far my advice to friends and family is, forget what the distances are, make a sensible decision based on our families extensive experience in this area, and then accept that you’re on your own, and you are responsible for what happens going forward.
From a safety point of view, very little can go wrong or is likely to go wrong. I’ve had painted pine within 2” of a stove for years and so far I haven’t even managed to discolour the paint. We have cooking stoves fitted next to wooden feather edge boards and stoves fitted on wooden floors. Mostly this has been done to test where problems arise, but after decades of doing tests like this, we’ve found the safety risk to always be much lower than the risk to cracking plaster for example (in other words aesthetic risks are far more likely).
Hope that helps a bit, but I will release a proper video on this, once I nail down something sensible to say.
@@TheTortoise Thank you so much for your insightful reply. What you say makes a lot of sense and I'll take it all onboard.
I understand that some stoves need to be installed on a constructional hearth? I'm assuming this means something none combustible like slate or brick etc. It would be interesting to know your opinion with respect to this.
Look forward to the video when you get around to it 👍
Constructional hearths are 125mm thickness of solid masonry. Otherwise a hearth is something non combustible, solid and a minimum of half an inch or 12mm thickness. In both cases the minimum size is 840mm (33”) square, though large stoves will require larger dimensions.
The more of your reviews I look at the harder it becomes to decide which stove to go for . I live in a bungalow, the lounge is 5.5 m x 3.8 m x 2.4 m , it is brick construction (1960 detached, 2 ouside walls with a large double glazed window )with a 60mm insulated cavity , what kw stove would you recommend ? and is it best to have a single wall flue in the room and then to a double before going through the ceiling, I forgot to say the stove will be free standing. Thanks
Great reviews 👍
5kw is where you need to be. Annoyingly 5kw now covers a number of stoves with varying outputs, but in your case I’d be looking for something that was officially 5kw, but with an output range between/around 4-6kw.
With regard to the flue, you’re chasing a red herring. Just forget the perceived advantage of getting heat from the flue, the flue needs that heat and we’ve sized the stove correctly so heat isn’t going to be an issue.
Hi Gabriel, Any chance of a review of the Esse 175 as this stove has a catalytic converter and I can see these becoming more common in future due to environmental concerns. Was about to upgrade to a Heta Ambition 5 but the Esse 175 intrigues me. Saying that I could buy a Hunter Allure 7 and a Recoheat for less money than either. Thanks
I have 2 x 5kw arada stoves for a few years and have been absolutely great …. Wanting to upgrade main room to a 8kw … stoves are my main heat for winter so are on 6-8hrs a day all through winter …. Would this in your opinion stand up to that like aradas? If not what would your recommendation be for a heavy use log burner which is not crazy money?
Thanks (great content as always)
I think these would do a good job, but if you want a few other options you could look at things like the Herald Allure/Parkray Aspect stoves. The big advantage with both the Pankhurst and the Allure or Aspect is that they will have a much longer burn time than most Arada stoves and should use a lot less fuel too.
Which is your top pick of the Lowry/Pankhurst/Turing? Great videos thanks for doing them
For burning wood it would be the Pankhurst every time.
@@TheTortoise Cheers would you choose it over the Hampton 5?
Tricky that one!
To be honest I think look would be one of the biggest factors.
Great video. Nice stove.
Do you think it would be possible to boil a kettle or a pan of water on top. I struggle with my cheap Chinese stove, as the top is quite thin cast iron and doesn't maintain much heat. I'm jealous of my mother's villager for that.
If you have the opportunity, I'd love to see a review of the Salamander little range stove. The addition of a cooking function is an attractive feature.
Yes definitely
Just installed one great stove. Review spot on
I’d love to have a play with that range. I’m sure the opportunity will come, and I’ll be looking forward to it!
Thanks a lot!
I've watched loads of your videos over the past couple of months. I've not seen one on the contura 810. Is that something you'd do?
I have spoken to Contura, but it was last year in the midst of the busy season. Doing some work with them is definitely something I'd like to look at this year.
Hi Gabriel, do you have any recommendations for a 7/8KW Stove budget is around the 1k mark, I have been looking at the Saltfire ST4 but not sure on how reliable the brand is and if the DEFRA kit can be removed?
They do a large version of this stove that may be appropriate. You could also look at the Saltfire stoves, but they won’t tend to have the same burn time as this one. The tougher and more reliable stoves are things like Peanut 8, and STx8
@@TheTortoise I checked out the options you suggested, decided on the Woodford Pankhurst Large 8kw seems to tick all the boxes and the medium looked great on your review, its being delivered tomorrow! thanks again for your help and all your videos very informative and helpful when deciding what to go for, really helped me.
Awesome!
Let us know how you get on, oh and have a great Christmas too!
@@leemurphy4538 How is the Woodford Pankhurst Large 8kw working ?
@@stuartibbotson7179 I have not long got it up and running, i DIY'd the install and had a delay on the hearth, but quality is excellent, very heavy, robust, puts out alot of heat, we have a Bungalow and with the hallway door open can feel the heat in the rest of the house, also helps we have a dyson fan moving air, been running it overnight without issue
I'm in the market for a 5-8kw stove with the ability to do some cooking. Have you had any experience with the Charnwood Haven?
Not yet but it looks superb. To be honest for this style of appliance, my go to would be an Esse, but that’s because of their long experience in this area.
Cooking stoves are become vastly more popular, so others are joining in, but I haven’t tried the Charnwood yet to know whether it’s any good.
@TheTortoise Thanks for the reply! The Esse seems to be the gold standard, but it's a bit too powerful and very expensive. It's good to know there is nothing obvious problem you can see. Cheers!
They do some smaller models. Might be worth looking at the Lightheart, which seems very similar, that and the Warmheart.
Would you get this or the Hampton XL for similar budget? Thanks
That’s a good question. I think I prefer the design of this stove, but the aftersales and spares will currently be better with the Ecosy.
They’re both good stoves to use though. Genuinely not sure!
Isn't the Woodford Pankhurst an Ecosy stove anyway? It has exactly the same dimensions as the Ecosy Hooga 5 but is fitted with a different door design.
Is there a 800 number for contact
I’m not sure what that is? I would guess not 🤷♂️
@@TheTortoise I'm very interested in purchasing a wood burning stove but I can't call the number shown
What number shown where? Who are you trying to call?