WhatStove?

Review of Aarrow Sherborne Small Stove

A super stove

Chris S 14 years ago

This is a super little stove. It produces reasonable amounts of heat and is very easy to use. The airwash is also outstanding during normal (ie non-slumbering) operation.\n\nWe live in a "cold" house; it's an old, listed, timber-framed country cottage, so the insulation is not great. We had two inglenook open fires in two adjacent rooms that, whilst pretty, were horrendously inefficient and also threw heat to the sky, making the rooms they were in very drafty.\n\nTo remedy the situation we installed an Aarrow Sherbourne (medium) in the smaller of the two rooms and a Jotul F400 in the larger room. Consequently we can make an objective comparison of both stoves.\n\nThe Aarrow is made in steel. Consequently it is functional and not unattractive but also slightly plain compared with better adorned counterparts or the cast-iron of the Jotul. That said, the Aarrow also half the price of the Jotul! \n\nLighting the Aarrow is very easy; it draws beautifully and with coal or wood performs very well. It also goes through the night without problem on coal (when shut right down), but with wood can be a bit trickier.\n\nThe reason for this latter point, which is also my chief criticism of this stove, is that the firebox is quite small. Big logs are not an option!\n\nAnother niggle with this stove is that the handles and controls all become exceedingly hot, so you have to don a protective glove (helpfully supplied by Aarrow) before operating it. Also, the vent controls – the airwash control especially - are a bit stiff, which can make it slightly fiddly to operate. \n\nThe airwash is, however, excellent; so long as the stove is not shut down too hard the glass remains crystal clear; in this regard the Aarrow Sherbourne outperforms the Jotul.\n\nIn summary, this stove is easy to operate, looks nice, is compact, good value for money and readily heats a largish living room. The downsides are that it looks slightly plain, the controls get hot and are pretty stiff, and the firebox is slightly on the small side. Overall, however, we are very pleased.

Overall rating:

4.5 flames

Build Quality 4 flames (avg 4.3)
Quality of finish 4 flames (avg 4.3)
Value for money 5 flames (avg 4.8)
Ease of use 5 flames (avg 4.7)
Ease of lighting 5 flames (avg 4.7)
Firebox size 3 flames (avg 3.5)
How well does the airwash work 5 flames (avg 4.5)
Controllability 5 flames (avg 4.7)
Handle operation 4 flames (avg 4)
How likely are you to buy it again? 5 flames (avg 4.8)
What is your overall satisfaction? 5 flames (avg 4.8)