WhatStove?

Review of Villager A

Forget the others, get one of these.

K Toogood 11 years ago

This is the best stove we have ever owned; and we've had a few!

The firebox is huge, you can really stack the logs in. It is a thick steel box with airvents and a few firebricks. Ours has lasted for 15 years now and all I have replaced is one firerope round the door. It burns constantly from September through til April without fault.

In the same 15 years I have had 4 different 'quality' stoves ( Aarrow, warmsler, parkray and Hunter) elsewhere in the house that have burned up or fallen to pieces under the same use. The Villager cost us about £500 back then but the other stoves have cost over £5000 in the same time period.

If you fit the optional grate you can burn solid fuel, the bars don't warp or break as they aren't those silly riddling ones that jam. You actually have to de ash the grate by poking at it with a poker! Nothing technical there. Is a bit fiddly getting the ashpan out to empty it but hey, if you wanted a multifuel with separate door, they do those too.

I am about to chuck out my 2 year old knackered Hunter and refit with another Villager, however I have contacted the new company as I am unsure as to whether the quality is still the same as 15 years ago!

If you want a basic, reliable, continuous use stove, go for this. It might not be fancy or have a riddler; get a poker. It might not be the most controllable compared to these modern designs but it does what it was built for. Burns wood in a steel box.

Stove expert replied: I would expect that the seals require changing to insure they are sealing well as the rope used gets compressed over time. Otherwise this seems to have been a great buy and well worth the money!

Overall rating:

5 flames

Build Quality 5 flames (avg 4.7)
Quality of finish 4 flames (avg 4.4)
Value for money 5 flames (avg 4.6)
Ease of use 5 flames (avg 4.5)
Ease of lighting 5 flames (avg 4.7)
Firebox size 5 flames (avg 4.8)
How well does the airwash work 4 flames (avg 3.8)
Controllability 4 flames (avg 4.2)
Handle operation 5 flames (avg 4)
How likely are you to buy it again? 5 flames (avg 4.5)
What is your overall satisfaction? 5 flames (avg 4.5)