multifuel stove

crphillips

The prices I've quoted aren't full retail......neither are they trade discount. Most places will offer 15% off rrp all year round. The OP said AROUND £500......I personally would call £600 as being around £500. I personally would like to know if I could get a way better stove for just £100 more. Not everyone on here is as tight as a ducks........And would consider spending a little more if it meant getting something better. Saving money isn't always about buying cheap. Buy once buy good.

I would have assumed that he would have said '£500 is my limit to spend on a stove' if they didn't want suggestions AROUND £500. Jeez.

With regards to the Merc dealer......don't understand the point....there are millions of mercs on the road. I run VW vans with a spec that costs twice that of a Ford Transit and nearly three times that of a Toyota Hiace. Yeah Mercs are expensive but I wouldn't have anything other than a German car.......I've owned and driven Fords, Vauxhall, citroen.......etc. They don't compare.

I don't know anyone with a prestige German vehicle that complains about the price.......you get what you pay for.

Also the OP said the Country 4 was a bit underpowered but this is probably because he has missed the fact that Charnwood quote NOMINAL output figures........they're a 5kw stove........same as a Little Wenlock which he is also looking at.

Brickie - please just go and take a look at some stoves.........have a play with them........see them running............ask about the airwash system.........see how the door handle and air controls feel.......if they feel naff then the stove is usually naff...........if they feel quality then the stove is usually quality...........see what your getting for your money......they vary massively.

For example............if you look at say a villager duo......and also look at a Charnwood Cove 1...........similar size and output........both a black box with a window.......although the Cove 1 will probably take twice as long to build due to it's design and probably uses 3 times as many parts..........look at them from the front and they both just look like a black box. Obviously the Cove 1 is twice the price but you can at least make a decision on whether the additional design features are worth the extra to you.

suki1964

crphillips wrote: »

The OP said AROUND £500......I personally would call £600 as being around £500. I personally would like to know if I could get a way better stove for just £100 more. Not everyone on here is as tight as a ducks........And would consider spending a little more if it meant getting something better. Saving money isn't always about buying cheap. Buy once buy good.

Where as reading "around £500" can be open to interpretation, calling those that arent prepared to extend their limits tight really is taking this to a personal level

You are right, its not always about buying cheap but then there's buying the best for your needs within your budget - that's not tight its being sensible

crphillips

My point is that badger is jumping down my throat for suggesting a stove at £600 when the OP did say AROUND £500. Badger has decided that £500 is his limit when the OP never said that. That's all.

As usual the thread has gone completely off topic and I'm getting hounded. The only person giving any input with the experience of thousands of stoves and completely free with no money to be made. I'm such a bad guy.

A._Badger

crphillips wrote: »

The prices I've quoted aren't full retail......neither are they trade discount. Most places will offer 15% off rrp all year round. The OP said AROUND £500......I personally would call £600 as being around £500. I personally would like to know if I could get a way better stove for just £100 more. Not everyone on here is as tight as a ducks........And would consider spending a little more if it meant getting something better. Saving money isn't always about buying cheap.

I would have assumed that he would have said '£500 is my limit to spend on a stove' if they didn't want suggestions AROUND £500. Jeez.

Do the maths. For our resident stove installer, who likes to boast about how many stoves he sells in a year, the difference between £500 and £600 may seem like nothing at all. For someone else, it might be make or break.

Much the same appiles to your (and Hethmar's come to that) repeated banging-on about the wonders of Clearview stoves. Fine, if you are either rolling in money, or happen to be in the trade, pay trade prices for them and get your installations on the cheap.

crphillips wrote: »

With regards to the Merc dealer......don't understand the point....there are millions of mercs on the road. I run VW vans with a spec that costs twice that of a Ford Transit and nearly three times that of a Toyota Hiace. Yeah Mercs are expensive but I wouldn't have anything other than a German car.......I've driven Fords, Vauxhall, citroen.......etc. They don't compare.

I don't know anyone with a prestige German vehicle that complains about the price.......you get what you pay for.

That's so banal it barely deserves a response - least of all on a Money Saving Expert forum. You do not always get what you pay for. Sometimes you pay too much, sometimes you get a bargain. Most often, it evens out.

MSE exists to help people find good value for money. That's a concept of which you seem to have little grasp.

Mercedes? Clearview? My dear! Why doesn't everyone buy them? Let them eat brioche!

suki1964

crphillips wrote: »

My point is that badger is jumping down my throat for suggesting a stove at £600 when the OP did say AROUND £500. Badger has decided that £500 is his limit when the OP never said that. That's all.

As usual the thread has gone completely off topic.

Regardless of who said what - calling people on MSE tight really is akin to opening gob and shoving in size 10s

For some on here - 500 is a small fortune - 600 would be unthinkable and could be enough to put someone in serious trouble

crphillips

We like to do things properly and a nice tidy quality van gives a good impression.......that's my point......the expensive van makes me money........I wouldn't touch a tradesman who turned up in a £9'000 Hiace. If they cheap out on their most important tool then what else will they cheap out on.

As for your Clearview point.......I seem to remember I recommended a Highlander 5 or Country 4.

I'm just offering a different point of view than a Villager or Hunter. My view isn't necessarily to spend more money.........just spend your money better.

Saving money doesn't have to be about buying cheap......I can buy a £100,000.00 car and save money on it. Just because it's expensive doesn't mean you can't save money.

I make more money from having expensive vans than buying cheap vans............many customers comment on the overall look of our company and say they liked the full package.......they went with us even though we were more expensive..........company image is down to the vans, the sign writing, the uniforms, the business cards, the stationary, the website..........sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Our company would not project the same image if I turned up in a couple of white bog standard Toyota Hiace's.

Suki - I think if you read it again you'll realise that I wasn't calling MSE'rs tight. Also your just assuming he can't stretch to another £100........once again the OP said AROUND £500 which would say that he's got some flexibility. Therefore my original recommendations still stand.

suki1964

crphillips wrote: »

We like to do things properly and a nice tidy quality van gives a good impression.......that's my point......the expensive van makes me money........I wouldn't touch a tradesman who turned up in a £9'000 Hiace. If they cheap out on their most important tool then what else will they cheap out on.


I make more money from having expensive vans than buying cheap vans............many customers comment on the overall look of our company which is down to the vans, the uniform, the business cards, the stationary, the website..........sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Our company would not project the same image if I turned up in a couple of white bog standard Toyota Hiace's.

Unfortunately the big stove company on the area also have the uniforms, stationary, big vans etc etc

And they fitted mums stove with no reg plate - just filled it with cement

Had no proper fitting fire bricks for her stove ( inset) so cut one - which cracked right through on first use

Used the wrong grade liner and wrong cowl

And I wont mention the hash of a fire surround

( and you can pm me for the name of the company if you like - lovely posh website as well)


Theres an expression round here - all fur coat and no knickers

crphillips

Well or course there are going to be flash looking companies doing poor jobs......there always will be. One of the massive companies around and hours drive from us carries out terrible installations......they have around 30 vans on the road..........but that's not the point at all.

My point is that my expensive van makes me more money than a cheap van so it is therefore saving me money. Its all about first impressions......... Badger seems to think it's wasted money.

If they were installing a stove for your mum why were they having to fit firebricks.......what happened to the ones that came with it?

Munketytunkety

brickie58 wrote: »

thanks to everyone who answered some good info here, another query perhaps for the technically minded, i have had some negative answers re stoves about running costs but i have read somewhere that an open fire is only 30% efficient ie 70% of heating is going up the chimney, so as a stove is rated around 70% efficient only 30% waste heat surely then i am going to get more value for my money fuel wise,ta

My fire basket used about 4 times the fuel I currently use in my firewarm for less heat.


Search youtube for " firewarm 6 multi fuel logburner " you can see my little video I made to show the control on this stove. The fire was almost dead and I put on a shovel full of coal and you can see me winding out the air controls, see how quickly the fire picks up!! This is great for lighting the fire in the morning as all we do is wind out the wheels and put a log on and the embers glow red hot again. At the end of the vid I shut the air down and you can see instantly the burn slows right down.


On the discussion of workmens vans, I'd rather see a 20 year old well looked after clean van than a dirty new one....

Just to add I'm no expert so other stoves may be as good as this firewarm6 I'm just judging it against my old Hunter, a Firefox and this new Evergreen Holly I have. I just thought this FW6 offered very good control and quality for the money I paid for it (£400 in North Wales PB Trading) Chesire flue supplies offer it for £350 but had no stock and I did see one other seller on ebay had them in for £350 + post which I think is amazing value if you can pick it up locally.
I'd be VERY VERY surprised to see a stove better this one for the money.

suki1964

crphillips wrote: »

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If they were installing a stove for your mum why were they having to fit firebricks.......what happened to the ones that came with it?

Ive cut the rest of your post because if you cant see how ridiculous it makes your whole argument - Ill not drag it out.

Who knows with me mums install. Its something they ( her and him) went off and done off their own back with no consultation with any one. They have a wee Stanley which they have installed as an inset. The way the flu has been set in the back means the rear fire brick needed to be rounded off - sloped - and it cracked right through and they just went ahead and fitted it.

That as I say was the least of their problems, but hey they were parted with the best part of 4k for falling for what the "experts" told them.