I am looking to buy a new wood stove to replace my old one in the garage. The one in there now is a Menards special, and it’s not very efficient. My my shop is about 1200 square feet, has insulated walls and ceiling. I am a little lost at where to even start looking. I want something that is safe and super efficient. It looks to be a great debate wether or not you even buy a stove with a cat converter or not? Any suggestions, dos, or don’t?

As always, thanks in advance

I like a wood and coal stove because they come with grates and have an ash pan underneath.I think most also come with metal box built around them with a blower witch helps a lot.

I have one in my house and one in my shed , both from menards ,made in canada , both 5 years old ,and very efficient , I'm happy with them , maybe you need to replace door seal ? fire will last 12 hours and still a good bed of coals

Mines the bolt together vogolzen stove. It just can’t be efficient

Don't get one with a catalytic converter. They only work if the wood is perfectly seasoned, if your shops like ours and gets all kinds of junk thrown in your catalytic converter will be ruined in no time. I heat my house solely with wood and I have an osburn stove, its nice and has the pipes in the top that burn off the gasses which come out of the wood, its an efficient designe.

I heat my house with wood almost 100%. I do have one of those oil-filled electric heaters in a back room for use on the coldest nights. We haven't turned on the oil burner in about twenty-years.

I've had my share of crappy wood stoves. Then I got an older Qudra-fire from a customer who said if I could get it out of his living room, I could have it. It's a great stove, super efficient and completely air-tight. At one time Qudra-fires were rated the cleanest burning non-catalytic stove on the market by the EPA.

I liked it so much I bought another used one to replace the crappy Buck stove at camp.

Both mine are the 3100 model.

If you go that route look for an older one made before automatic combustion control (ACC). Most stoves are required to have ACC now and all it does is prevent you from shutting it down hard. As the stove cools the air control automatically opens to allow more air and a hotter fire.

Also, like most everything else, the older ones are built better than the new stuff. The one I originally got from the customer weighed almost 400 pounds. And it's basically a two-foot by two-foot box. The one I got for camp is newer but still pre-ACC and only weighs about 350 pounds. They lightened/cheapened up the materials.

There's lots of good, used stuff on the market, Fisher stoves come to mind, but you'll pay a premium right now.

My Uncle heated his shop with a old house fuel oil tank, he made a door for one end and the pipe came out the other end.

I heat my whole house with a mamma bear wood stove, it’s great! Very heavy and I feel
Fairly efficient. House is around 1500 sqft and I burn around 2.5 cord a year

We heat with wood too and always have. We have an older Fisher and its been great but needs replaced. I use Blaze Kings at the lodge and is what I will replace the Fisher with.

I have a Fisher wood stove.

It has heated our entire house for 28 years.

Today it's -20 outside and +78 inside.

I get through most winters burning less than 6 cords for the season.

WS

Good quality wood stoves are getting pricey. Be sure to buy one deep enough to get at least a 16" log in from the door to the back of the stovebox.

Blaze Kings are solid workhorses. They fire right up and hold the fire about as long as I have ever seen.

For members with fisher stoves, there is all kinds of info on hearth.com . A website that discusses all woodstoves and chimneys. The fisher stove efficiency, can be improved , by adding a baffle plate in the firebox. The flame and gasses have to go around the plate before going out the chimney. all the measurements are provided, to make your baffle and adjust it. We have one at our hunt camp, our main stove. I haven't got around to adapting it . Too old to get down and do it. Lots of info on other makes. I have an RSF energy air tight that works well for us.

We had a Fisher Pappa Bear in our living room and a barrel stove in the basement. heated our old farm house for 30 years.

We have a very small house and have a very small woodstove in our living room that we heat with from morning until we go to bed, and then depend on our very efficient natural gas furnace. The wood stove we have is a Vermont Castings Intrepid. It is a small but extremely efficient wood stove. I does have a catalytic block in it but we rarely, if ever use it in that manner. It just plain does not work well when I switch it to catalytic.

This stove heats our upper house very well and we keep it at about 72. My FIL gave it to us about 15 years ago so the price was right. We also have a wood furnace in the basement that we have not used for many years, since we got this one. It is all hooked up to the ducts with a blower, etc. but given my broken old body I don't think hauling wood into the basement is a reality anymore. It is still hooked up, though, just in case we need it.

The only downside to our stove is it does not work well with large wood or anything over 16 inches. I think that if I had to do it again I would opt for a pellet stove, given how we use it. I am getting to the age that the hassle and work of cutting, splitting, and hauling wood is getting to lose its fun and excitement. It is still a lot of fun chucking in small logs and enjoying the heat this thing puts out so we will continue to use it.

Moosetrot

Got a old hurricane stove in the fur shed , holds for a good 12 hours.
Way more of a stove than a 14x22 shed needs, but paid 60.00 dollars for it
15 years ago had to reline the fire brick in it and put a new cord on the
Blower motor.

When buying a wood stove look for a thick built stove
Hard to move around but worth it.

I love my Jotul Oslo 500. I would buy another in a heartbeat.

NOT catalytic !

One thing I've learned is not to skimp on insulation. Our house is only 1400 square feet, but I built it to R-2000 specs. 10-inch walls and R60 blown into the ceiling. That along with triple pane argon filled windows and it doesnt take much to heat. I build my trapline cabins small and tight too. Makes a big difference in summer and winter.

I have a Blaze King , with a cat. I wish it didn't have the cat , though it can be disengaged from use with a lever. It has been a good stove , just wished it has a tray for ash, like the biggest size up offers. It has a big box and a fan blower. Also a flat top to cook on, hold water for humidity, or to set anything on if needed. The pipe opening on the top, a nice straight shot right up through the roof. Any elbows in a pipe for me are horrible to worry about.

I do love Jotul and want one asap.

That's the brand I couldn't think of. I knew you had one and I knew I searched hard for one back when I bought my second Quadra-Fire but I couldn't think of the name, thanks!

Nobody wanted to part with their Jotuls back when I was looking to buy a second quality stove. They were hard to find.