Jotul F3 stove

i have had my stove for 15 year, it still has all the original parts on. it is on day and night in the winter and just at tea time in the summer nights. i would never part with it.

This is excellent stove, but you have to know what you are doing and how to handle it properly. Once you figure it out, you'll be happy with it.

Build quality - very good nothing to add to this part. I have also removed top plate and inside it looks very well build too

Quality of the finish - I've got black paint finish, it is easy to scratch and you have to avoid water on surface, otherwise it will rust. However spray-can with black finish is cheap, so you can repaint it for little of money. Enamel finish is probably much better choice, but much more expensive.

Value for money - quite expensive

Ease of use - no problems to start and keep the fire, however to run it most effectively with maximum usage of secondary combustion, you have to understand how wood burns and adjust air vents accordingly.

Ease of lighting - I'm using top-down method and no problems at all

Burning overnight - best burn time with wet wood was arround 6 hours (I had still enough hot coals in it to relight without matches). On the other hand overnight burning (in general and in each stove) is very uneffcient and unecological.

Firebox size - small one, but fine for me. I have to heat arround 75 square meters, so it perfect matches my needs

Does the airwash work - yes, wokrs fine, but when you close air vents and wood starts to smolder, glass gets a bit dirty - no problem to clean it with wet sponge and little of ash.

Controlability - you have only one control (I do not count ingnition vent) to influnce the burning process. Air for clean burn unit cannot be adjusted - there is simply no control for it - but it is not an issue. i plan to build a control for seconday combustion and experiment with it a bit.

Handle operation - door hanlde locks well in close posiotion, but it is a bit tight to open it (it is good, because children will not be able to open it) - few gentle hits to the wooden knob moves hanlde from locked position and then it is easy to operate. Wooden know is never too hot to touch, but air vent handles are very hot, be carefull when handling it - you can use your hands, but touch it only for fraction of time.

Would you buy this again - There is no real reason not buying it. However I like a look and features od Vermont Castings "Dutchwest" stove. So probably I would try new "toy".

Overall satisfaction - very good stove.

I fitted this stove to replace a villager witch was great. The f3 is rubbish, not at all controllabel, it either roars away like a fernice and nearly melts or the dam thing just goes out, no gentle tick over is possible.

I installed this woodburner in my lounge 11 years ago.
i burn only wood for about 7 months of the year. 24/7 in the winter months.
i cant rate it highly enough. it is fantastic quality and so nice to look at. none of that boiler steel crap. the mouldings on the elevations make it well worth the extra that it costs.
i would not part with it.
i had the blue black enamel finish, just a quick wipe with a damp cloth and its like new again. mine is still mint and i have burnt so many tons of timber over the years. buy and enjoy.

The Jotul stove is aestheticaly pleasing used simply with candles burning inside when not in use, or when used for heat with logs burning. It is simple to light and control. It has never let me down yet. I have never regreted booting out the 'living flame gas fire' and bringing a real fire into my home!

I am not as pleased with this stove as I had thought I would be.

This is a great stove that really packs a punch in terms of heat output. Looks great, small enough to fit nicely in a standard fireplace so does not encroach on room space. Very efficient and very easily controllable. My only criticisms relate to handles: the door handle seems counterintuitive, and the heat control slider gets very hot so use a glove to use it! Great value overall.