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Review of Stratford TF 50 stove

Arrow Stratford TF 50

Rob Kennedy 15 years ago

Good stove. I have found the best fuel to use is Anthracite Stovesse although getting hold of it now is difficult. The stove is good on wood but needs to burn flat out to get the best from the wood, when using wood i put smokeless fuel on to overnight burn. Consumption of smokeless fuel over the winter time is 1 ton over a quarter. I am currently burning a fuel called Briteheat which is a economy type briquete similar to Phurnacite but cheaper. It produces a lot more ash than Anthracite but providing you empty the ash pan every filling it's fine. There is no clinker and the smallest amount left in the firebox will recover quickly everytime, so you will not loose the fire. My only gripe with this stove is not having a larger ash pan. My tip to anyone buying this stove is to purchase an extra ash pan and a tippy to make the task of ashing out easier. As with all stoves ashing out can seam a chore but for a few minutes a day doing this a considerable saving on heating bills can be made compared to gas. I have a linked system and save about £120 on heating using the stove and smokeless fuel conpaired to using the gas alone over the winter quarter.

Overall rating:

4 flames

Build Quality 4 flames (avg 3.7)
Quality of finish 4 flames (avg 4)
Value for money 5 flames (avg 4.1)
Ease of use 4 flames (avg 3.9)
Ease of lighting 4 flames (avg 4.1)
Firebox size 4 flames (avg 3.6)
How well does the airwash work 4 flames (avg 3.5)
Controllability 4 flames (avg 4)
Handle operation 4 flames (avg 3.9)
How likely are you to buy it again? 4 flames (avg 4)
What is your overall satisfaction? 4 flames (avg 4)