WhatStove?

Review of Harmony 13 stove

Wouldn't be without it now

Liz 11 years ago

We have had ours for 10 months now and I can't imagine life without it now. I had concerns after seeing reviews (not just those here) mentioning the glass going white after a couple of weeks, the airflow being difficult to manage etc. I don't know what I was worried about. As much as I love the summer I was disappointed not to be able to light the stove in the warmer days.

It takes a little time to get in the habit, or out of it, of not fiddling with it but we got there in the end. We have a quote now; "the fire knows best, step away". It chucks out more than enough heat to heat the room and if we want to stretch it a little more we leave the living room door open and the

entire ground floor has the cold spots knocked off it very quickly.

We were slightly indulgent and bought the remote control too. It's fantastic. A bit expensive and not particularly sturdy but very useful. The thermostat is the main feature; opening or closing the air depending on the temperature of the room.The one thing they need to think about it having a display on the remote to let you know how open or closed it is. If you want to over-ride the automatic setting you have to guess how open or closed it is. It makes the most awful noise if you try to open or close it beyond its limits.

We only ever burn wood and won't be trying any sort of coal. We only have to empty the very small ash pan every 3 days such is its burning efficiency. The glass does get a bit black when you first light the fire especially if the kindling is a bit wet but it either burns off as the fire heats up or a quick rub with a bit of damp newspaper dipped in wood ash and its as clean as the day it arrived.

We have the matt black. I don't believe the satin black version was available to us or maybe its only the bigger models but keeping it clean is easy. A quick wipe down when its cold and you're done.

Keeping it burning overnight too us about a week to get right. Now we get it spot on every time. Patience along with trial and error got us there.

Ours has been a huge hit with everyone that has seen it, so much so that the neighbours are having a Harmony 23 put in in 2 weeks.

We moved into this house about 12 months ago and intentionally only removed one of the gas fireplaces just in case things didn't work out as hoped with the stove. However, the 2nd gas fireplace's days are numbered now.

Stove expert replied: Great review and how true, give it time to understand the stove and how it works best. Do not fight it but work with it to get the best out of it. Only ever use dry seasoned wood and the glass should stay clear.

Overall rating:

4.5 flames

Build Quality 5 flames (avg 4.8)
Quality of finish 4 flames (avg 4.7)
Value for money 5 flames (avg 4)
Ease of use 4 flames (avg 4.2)
Ease of lighting 5 flames (avg 4.5)
Firebox size 4 flames (avg 3.6)
How well does the airwash work 5 flames (avg 4.1)
Controllability 5 flames (avg 4.3)
Handle operation 3 flames (avg 3.6)
How likely are you to buy it again? 5 flames (avg 4.2)
What is your overall satisfaction? 5 flames (avg 4.2)