WhatStove?

Review of Waterford Stanley Oisin stove

Nice Stove but suited to a smaller, or well insulated area

ATC 12 years ago

Have had the Stanley Oisin in for a couple of days now.

I have burnt peat, dry and wet wood and high quality, homefire coal.

The stove is listed, generally, from 5 to 6.4kw. Before buying, not having had a stove or fire before, I wasn't sure if this would be enough for me, and I regret to say it hasn't worked out for me.

I heat a room around 3.5 to 6.5 metres long and 2.5 metres in depth. Calculated online I was told I needed a 3.4kw stove. However this stove is a higher kw rating and I find it doesn't deliver what I need to keep the room at a consistently toasty temperature. Before buying I was told by various sources that a stove at 5kw would be enough to have me in my boxer pants but I just have not got that type of heat.

On reflection I think - as I suspected before I bought this - I should have purchased a 7-9kw stove for my room area and burnt on it. The problem with this stove is that it has only a small area to fit logs into, meaning you can only get say 3-5 good logs in at a squeeze, and you need this number to wack out the heat and not simply be using the stove as a glorified radiator. These tend moreover to burn up quickly if you have the vent fully open, which if turned down results in both a lower heat output and clouding of the viewing window. The smaller stove size also inadvertently results in logistical problems if burning wood solely as it means you must ensure each log you are burning is to the correct size - slightly under a foot - to go in this stove.

Having burnt coal in it more recently, I find that the heat given off, whilst a lot better than wood, and lasting a lot longer without refill, is not amazing either. This I would hasten to add is not simply down to the stove or the make (which although smelted in China gets good reviews and sells well in the UK/Ireland) but I suspect heat loss from my Victorian terrace house, combined with the fact that it is hard to get a good fill into the stove on account of its small size.

If others are reading this, with a view to getting a stove in, as I was one week ago, my advice would be to buy this stove if the area to be heated is less than that I stated above (my living room area) or if their house is more modern and facilitates better insulation. If for example you were simply buying a stove for a closed off bedroom or study or a small work area this would be ideal; but for a larger living area it would be safer to get a larger kw stove then fill it liberally or conservatively dependent on other heating factors like the weather, season and the insulation of your home.

Overall I would still rate this stove as a 4/5 as it looks nice, is homely, and the 'issues' I have with it would in some respects or in similar ways be repeated with other makes of stove. It was also my error (not having had a stove before, or been exposed to a home fire since a child in the mid-90s) in getting a lower kw stove than it transpires I need.

I would hasten to add, however, that I am testing the stove in an unusually warm late Sep/early Oct in 2011 and I may have a different view of it after the 2011/2012 Winter. If this is the case I will update this board.

On a final note I bought this stove for £370 in Erwin's at Nutt's Corner in Antrim, and got it installed for £230. So for £500 all in, with a lot of free firewood and some coal, it will I'm certain make a nice addition to my Oil CH this Winter.

Stove expert replied: Other factors like insulation, open plan areas etc should be considered before purchasing a stove to insure that the stove is powerful enough to heat the space required. The price is low for this stove but if you still require central heating a larger stove which would be more expensive may prove more cost effective. Still every little heat produced will help to cut other fuel costs.

Overall rating:

3.5 flames

Build Quality 4 flames (avg 3.9)
Quality of finish 4 flames (avg 4.1)
Value for money 5 flames (avg 4)
Ease of use 4 flames (avg 4.5)
Ease of lighting 4 flames (avg 4.3)
Firebox size 2 flames (avg 2.8)
How well does the airwash work 2 flames (avg 2.8)
Controllability 4 flames (avg 4.1)
Handle operation 4 flames (avg 4.5)
How likely are you to buy it again? 1 flames (avg 3.3)
What is your overall satisfaction? 3 flames (avg 3.5)