Vogelzang Defender Wood-Burning Stove, Model# TR001
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Our Wonderful Wood Stove
We are so excited about our wood stove! I must admit that we have not yet used it since it's 100 degree weather right now in Texas, but this stove is obviously quality made and built to last! We are so glad that we purchased it!
August 13, 2012
Some minor issues
I installed this stove in my workshop to augment my solar/propane radiant floor heating system back in 2005. I have had a few issues with it.
First when it arrived they provided a replacement gasket because apparently the adhesive they use to adhere it was failing. I replaced it and that went fairly well, but the latch does not close tight enough on the gasket to form a good seal all around - especially near the latch. I did try various adjustments with the latch to no avail.
I'm also a bit disappointed with the draw. My chimney is all metal with 10 feet inside and 12 feet outside -- and it goes basically straight up from the stove. I also have a Magic Heat reclaimer 2ft above the stove. I have to leave the damper wide open at all times, and even leave the door cracked open to get enough draft unless I have REALLY dry wood such as construction scrap.
I think they should engineer the damper to open up more to allow for low draft installations. Leaving the door cracked open (on the latch) compromises the internal air flow.
Nonetheless this little stove really puts out the heat and I am pretty please with it in general.
December 1, 2010
Great little stove
We purchased this stove from Northern about 5 years ago to do the major heating in our 12,000 sq. ft. home.
It has been great! On a good night the main room can get up to 80 degrees, takes the chill off of the upstairs and if the fire is started early enough and if we remember to open the doors upstairs, its just fine up there.
We put the last log on about 11 or midnight, and in the morning at about 6:30 am, the house is at about 50 degrees. Enough to keep the pipes from freezing. I will put the gas heat on for two hours in the am, then we start the fire up again around 4:30 in the afternoon.
It works great! We are very pleased, considering the price...it's not a bad little stove.
Extremely windy nights, its a little harder to get the tempture up really high, but warm enough to be comfortable.
February 1, 2010
Great value for a good stove
This is a good stove for exceptional value. As with all wood stoves you just gotta learn how to work with it. As noted in previous comments the stove itself is only part of a larger heating system which also includes correct stovepipe installation, combustion air intake, and - not wanting to be silly here but - installation & use in a heatable space. That means the space you're trying to heat must be heatable (read: insulated with limited & controllable air ventilation). For example, I don't think this stove would be a good option in an uninsulated garage in a very cold environment. But it works great for me in a small (900 sq ft) well insulated cabin with an open floor plan. It doesn't heat particularly well closed down for the night. And it tends to burn more wood than a smaller, tighter, maximum efficiency stove (think: Jotul). But it is a nice compromise between a wood burning heating stove and a fireplace. Not sure I would recommend it as my only heating source for an entire winter unless I had unlimited wood to burn. But it is great for a vacation cabin or fishing/hunting retreat. Again, very fair value for a decent product.
November 18, 2008
What a difference!!
I purchased this stove to replace my antique stove to heat my 1000 sq ft home. It is very efficient and puts out tons of heat! The large glass window gives my entire living room a new feel while the fire is going. So far I am heating my house with much less wood that my antique stove. The only drawback, which could be the fault of my chimney, is that I get some smoke in the room when I open the door to feed the fire.
The stove was delivered quicker than expected and everything was in good condition.
If you have a good chimney set up and dry firewood I don't see how you could go wrong with this stove.
September 24, 2008
Great little stove!
I have an 1100 sq. ft. home and this little stove has has heated it excellent. I have not turned on my furnace in almost 3 years now. Great fire control, great heat, and a nice size window for viewing the fire. I would recomend getting the optional blower. The Defender has saved me thousands of $$$ on fuel oil. Excellent stove for a smaller house or barn.
August 18, 2008
defender defenceless
not a bad stove but will not heat 900 sq feet. it is simple and well built but won't fire well and barely keeps itself warm let alone heats a shop. I would try a larger stove.
January 14, 2008
Defender Wood Stove
I purchased one of these stoves to heat my cabin in Northern Michigan. When I uncrated the stove I thought that it could have been packed better, it had a few broken fire bricks (Which by the way were replaced by the manufacturer free of charge) I had initially set up the stove last winter, and it never seemed to draft well, or develop a rolling fire, I had to keep the door cracked so it could draft better. Over the summer I had a friend of mine take a look at it, ( He intalls wood, and coal stoves). He very aptly pointed out that my chimney pipe was not long enough. We added another six foot section of pipe, and that was the answer. This stove now drafts properly and efficiently consumes the firewood. My cabin is just short of 1200 sq feet, and this stove heats the entire place in a very short time.
October 29, 2007